Construction Worker Crushed to Death at Barclays Center

A construction worker at Barclays Center was crushed to death today by several falling steel beams at the Brooklyn arena. The steel joists were intended for the green roof project which is currently underway at the arena. The construction worker was standing beside a flatbed truck when the load toppled over before they were fastened to a crane to hoist them into place.

Hardhat Peter Zepf was helping to move the massive beams — called joists — from a truck onto a hoist when four of the parts fell on him near the Atlantic Avenue side of the arena around 1:30 p.m., witnesses said.

“My signal man was crushed,” said a fellow construction worker. “

The load was top heavy, the truck driver unhooked it without being told, and it toppled right on top of him. I checked his pulse: he was there for half a second, and then he was gone.”

“We are all devastated by what happened,” said a spokesman. “All of us at Greenland Forest City Ratner Partners and Barclays Center extend our most heartfelt condolences to the worker’s family and friends.”

The company is working with investigators to figure out what caused the accident.

The iron worker was employed by steel erector James F. Stearns Company, a subcontractor of Bankers Steel.

Zepf was helping to assemble a vegetative green roof designed to beautify the Nets home, when he was hit by the falling beams just after 1:30 p.m., and went into cardiac arrest.

He was taken to Brooklyn Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. He was 52 years old.

The Department of Buildings and NYPD were investigating the accident Tuesday, but no violations have been issued.


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