Falling Tape Measure Kills Man at Construction Site
The tape measure fell over 400 feet
The New York Times reported that a 58-year-old man died after being struck in the head by a tape measure that fell more than 400 feet. The victim was not wearing a safety helmet when he stepped out of a car, and the tape measure slipped off the belt of a construction worker at the top of a building at 70 Christopher Columbus Drive in Jersey City.
"A tape measure is like a gun at a construction site," Edwin Gonzalez, a fellow construction worker, said, according to the newspaper's report. "Like a police officer, you don't pull it out unless you're going to use it."
It said AJD Construction, the company working at the site, told investigators that its policy was that all people on the property wear helmets and that it was not clear why the victim did not have one on.