An architect working on a Midtown Manhattan high-rise fell hundreds of feet to his death on Sept. 15.
Bruno Travalja, of Ridgewood, New Jersey, fell 47 stories from a building located at 153 West 52th Street. While working on the roof, Travalja bent down to take measurements near the ledge of the luxury condominium development, and he then lost his footing and fell over an 18-inch security barrier.
“He was squatting down to look at something and as he got up, he pivoted (and) his foot got caught,” said a source closed to the matter, according to the New York Post.
Travalja was pronounced dead at the scene.
New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) officials said Travalja was wearing a harness but it was not connected to anything when he knelt down.
“This happened when he had removed the hook before he had hooked it back up,” the source added to the Post.
The married father of three had studied architecture at Pratt Institute, according to his Facebook page. He is the owner and operator of Crowne Architectural Systems, a glass installation company.
“He loved working in the field, he was never scared,” Taylor, his 16-year-old daughter, told the Post. “He loved being up there.”
Taylor said she last saw her father the night before when she kissed him goodnight and went upstairs to complete her homework. On Thursday morning, her father had already left for work before she woke.
“I can’t believe I'll never see him again. He was the best father in the world,” she said.
The DOB said the investigation is ongoing and issued a stop work order on the building.
Travalja’s death is one of numerous construction-related deaths in the country so far this year, according to data compiled by OSHA. In July, Jose Fernandez, 43, was killed while loading material at La Reguera Dominicana located in Washington Heights, when he was fatally crushed by a freight elevator.
