Worker killed in SoNo mall accident
NORWALK — A worker fell to his death early Tuesday morning as construction continues on the recently opened SoNo Collection mall.
Crews have been working around the clock inside and outside of the 700,000squarefoot mall, which opened last month with a handful of stores and more — including Bloomingdale’s and H&M this week — expected to be ready during the holiday shopping season.
The worker, who was not immediately identified, fell from an elevated section of the building’s exterior around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Norwalk Police Lt. Terry Blake said.
Blake said officers rendered aid to the man, who was transported to Norwalk Hospital, where he died.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is responsible for overseeing workplace safety, was notified and is investigating the incident. Officials said the investigation could take up to six months.
Blake would not say where the incident occurred, but OSHA officials were seen on Tuesday afternoon investigating an area near several air lifts outside the mall’s north side, which faces Interstate 95.
There have been no other reported accidents at the 100 N. Water St. site since construction began in late 2017, according to OSHA.
Mall management declined to comment on the accident Tuesday morning.
Hours after the incident, crews were back to work and the mall was open as usual on Tuesday.
Workers on ladders were putting the finishing touches on the facade of the H&M retail store, while others were seen working outside to retrofit parts of the building’s exterior.
The SoNo Collection opened its doors on Oct. 11 with a grand opening for one of its anchor tenants, Nordstrom.
The mall boasted an occupancy of about 90 percent of its space at its debut, but only 16 stores actually opened at its outset.
Coming soon are a few startup restaurants: Made in China, with owner Alan Lee having previously run Ching’s Table in New Canaan and Steam in Greenwich, and Roadrunner from Luis Lopez of Chef Luis in New Canaan.
The mall will also feature a pair of chain restaurants: The Yard House, a sports bar chain based out of Orlando, Fla, and Pinstripes, a bowling alley bistro. The Yard House will be on the mall’s ground floor, outfacing toward West Avenue, while Pinstripes will occupy one of the choice suites at The SoNo Collection, opening onto a rooftop terrace and parking deck overlooking Long Island Sound.