Relative Was Driving Forklift in Fatal Montauk Accident

A 44-year-old man working on a dock in Montauk died Thursday after he was run over by a piece of construction equipment he was helping to direct. A relative, whom he lived with in Hampton Bays, was behind the wheel of the forklift moving material. 

Hector O. Duarte-Roque died of his injuries at Southampton Hospital in the hours that followed the accident in the roadway in front of the Montauk Lake Club and Marina on East Lake Drive. Montauk Fire Department emergency medical service personnel treated him at the scene, and a Suffolk medevac helicopter tried to take him to Stony Brook University Hospital, a trauma center, but it had to land in Southampton when Mr. Duarte-Roque’s condition deteriorated in the air. 

East Hampton Town police are investigating how the machinery, a Traverse telehandler with an extended forklift, ended up striking Mr. Duarte-Roque. “We don’t know nor does the operator of the machine. We may never know how he got down there,” Capt. Chris Anderson said on Tuesday.  He was “actively assisting the forklift operator in guiding/moving the dock material at the time the accident occurred,” police said.

The operator was identified as Jonnatan Guerrero, who is 24. “At some point, the operator realized that he has struck something or something is amiss. He stops and exits,” the captain said. Mr. Guerrero found the victim crawling out from underneath the equipment. He immediately called for help. Town police received a call at 10:54 a.m.

The construction equipment, often referred to as a Lull, for a brand that makes that type of machinery, has a boom on it that in a certain position blocks the line of sight on one side from the cab, Captain Anderson said. 

No criminal charges are expected. “At this point in the investigation, it appears purely accidental,” the captain said. Police are conducting an accident reconstruction, and an autopsy on Mr. Duarte-Roque was performed by the Suffolk County medical examiner’s office.

Meanwhile, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting its own inspection to determine if there were any violations of workplace safety standards, according to Ted Fitzgerald, the regional director for public affairs with the United States Department of Labor. OSHA investigators responded to the scene of the accident that day. In addition, they conduct interviews and review records. “If the inspection identifies violations then OSHA could issue citations to and propose fines for the employer involved,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. OSHA has six months to complete its investigation. 

The operator and the victim were working for Montauk Beach Dock and Pile Inc., which was contracted to build a dock at the Lake Club, police said. “I don’t even understand how everything happened,” said the company owner, Charles Eric Engstrom, who was reached by phone on Tuesday. Before hanging up, he called the accident tragic and said he was grieving for Mr. Duarte-Roque. “We worked together for another employer for a bit,” he said. 

The Lake Club and Double K Management Co., which manages the club, did not return calls or an email for comment.

The next day just before 11:30 a.m., a construction worker in Bridgehampton was seriously injured when he was run over by a Bobcat earthmover at the construction site at 2510 Montauk Highway, at the corner of Lumber Lane.

The Bridgehampton Fire Department treated Christopher Tripodi, 52, of Bellport for leg injuries and a Suffolk medevac airlifted him to Stony Brook University Hospital. He was in fair condition there on Tuesday afternoon.

The accident took place where a two-story commercial building is being constructed. A CVS pharmacy had been planned for the site, but the company pulled out of the project after community members raised objections. The construction project has continued, however. 

OSHA was also notified of Friday’s incident and has opened inspections of Nesconset Construction Co. Inc., which employed the injured worker, and Racanelli Construction Co., the general contractor, Mr. Fitzgerald said.

Correction: Hector O. Duarte-Roque died Thursday, Feb. 18, not Friday, Feb. 19, as previously reported in an earlier version of this story.