DA, Others to Investigate Fatal Boston Garage Collapse

BOSTON (AP) — A host of authorities including the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office will investigate a Boston parking garage collapse that killed a construction worker.

The downtown garage was in the process of being demolished when a portion of it collapsed on Saturday evening. Boston Emergency Medical Services said the collapse killed one person and caused another to be transported to a hospital.

Family members identified the victim as Peter Monsini, 51, of South Easton, according to local television news reports.

NBCBoston.com reported Tuesday that scanner audio reveals Boston firefighters had been called out to the demolition project in January in response to a report of an “unsafe, unstable worksite involving a crane.” Firefighters initially planned to stage a rescue operation on Surface road at New Chardon street but later determined it would not be necessary, the television station reported.

The demolition is part of the $1.5 billion Bullfinch Redevelopment Project, NBCBoston said.

Construction firm John Moriarty & Associates said the finished project is expected to include a parking garage surrounded by office and apartment buildings. The construction firm said that part of the garage came down after a concrete slab on the ninth floor collapsed.

Local, state and federal authorities will be involved in the investigation, James Borghesani, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office, said late Saturday. The district attorney’s office is located close to the site of the collapse.

“To know that one of the workers on this project has tragically died weighs heavy on our hearts,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement.

Boston Fire Commissioner Jack Dempsey has said the worker was completing demolition work in a construction vehicle when the structure collapsed, and the worker fell over the side of garage. The district attorney’s office had only identified the person as a young man on Saturday evening.

About the photo: This still image from aerial video provided by WCVB-TV in Boston shows a dump truck that fell through the roof of a multilevel parking garage on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, in Quincy, Mass. The truck was filled with gravel and was trying to make a U-turn on the top level of the garage when the weight of the vehicle caused a collapse. (WCVB-TV via AP)