KEY LARGO, Fla. – A worker died in a construction accident after going into the water when a crane on a barge tipped over in Key Largo Tuesday afternoon, Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said.
The crane was on a barge in the water behind a home under construction on Mutiny Place.
The crane apparently fell off the barge with the worker still on it, sending him plunging into the water, sources said.
The worker has been identified as 29-year-old Jose Eduardo Reyes Ponce, of Homestead.
Ramsay said the workers had been constructing a dock.
DEVELOPING: fatal construction accident in #KeyLargo after crane on barge went into water with worker on it. @mcsonews divers on scene to recover the body. Sad day in the Keys @WPLGLocal10 #FloridaKeys pic.twitter.com/0j3tKSxmKy
— Janine Stanwood (@JanineStanwood) March 21, 2023
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office divers responded to the incident to recover the man’s body.
Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, as well as Key Largo firefighters were also at the scene.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident, Ramsay said.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will conduct its own investigation, he said.