NI man dies after falling down a lift shaft in US
A CO Down man has died in the United States after falling seven storeys to his death in a construction site accident.
Colm Quinn (44), originally from Ballyholland, had been living in the US for a number of years.
Mr Quinn fell down an elevator shaft in Jersey City and was taken to a medical centre but was later pronounced dead, US media reported.
SDLP councillor Karen Mckevitt said he was a “lovely fella” from a respected family.
“This is the second son the family have lost after losing a son to cancer three years ago.
“I had to drive past their house myself today to go into Newry and you couldn’t but bring a tear to your eye. It is just so, so sad.”
A CONTRACTOR from Co Down fell seven storeys to his death in a construction site accident in America on Wednesday.
Colm Quinn (44) was originally from Ballyholland and had been living in the US for a number of years.
According to local media reports, Mr Quinn fell down an elevator shaft in Jersey City and was taken to the Jersey Medical Centre but was later pronounced dead. The tragedy occurred around 7.45am local time at 136 Summit Avenue in the Bergen Hill neighbourhood of the New Jersey city. No other details of the accident have been released.
The Newry-based Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust is helping to bring Mr Quinn’s body home.
Following the accident, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was called to the site, which was later shut down.
SDLP councillor Karen Mckevitt, who knows the Quinn family, described Mr Quinn as a “lovely fella” and said the Ballyholland community will rally around his loved ones.
“The community is in shock and they’re devastated,” said Ms Mckevitt.
“This is the second son the family have lost after losing a son to cancer three years ago.
“The family are well respected people in the area and they are members of this close-knit community. Everybody is just devastated.
“I had to drive past their house myself today to go into Newry and you couldn’t but bring a tear to your eye. It is just so, so sad.
“Colm was a lovely fella and had been in America for some time. A really lovely lad. It’s just heartbreaking.
“I had heard quite early on that it had happened and I could hardly do a thing yesterday afternoon because we were that annoyed about it.
“God knows what the poor family are going through and the community is just numb.
“The family only live a mile-and-a-half from me and the Ballyholland community will rally around the Quinn family. We will do everything in our power to get them through this desperate, desperate situation.”
The site where the tragedy occurred was the location of the former Fairmount Hospital, which later became the Fairmount Hotel and then an adult daycare centre.
When completed, the building is expected to include 99 apartments, 2,240 square feet of retail and parking garage with a capacity for 75 vehicles.