Worker Recovering From Fall After Accident in Rye Brook

A 52-year-old Mahopac man who fell from the traffic signal he was working on in Rye Brook is recovering today following Thursday morning's accident.

Rye Brook Police said the worker for Verde Electric is in good condition although he had to have surgery for a broken elbow and he also received treatment at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla for a broken nose and several broken ribs.

The Mahopac resident was working on a new traffic light on Ridge Road and Ellendale Avenue in Rye Brook at about 9:43 a.m. when a passing tractor trailer hit the bucket of the lift truck he was working on. Police said the worker was left hanging from the traffic light until a safety connection gave way.

The worker landed on top of the passing tractor trailer, rolled off the truck and fell to the pavement face-first. An investigation of the accident shut traffic in the area until 2:30 p.m.

Work has resumed today on the traffic signal, which is being installed as a project for Westchester County.

Lt. Eugene Matthews said the tractor trailer driven by a 50-year-old York, PA, woman was heading to West William Street to make a delivery at the time of the accident. Matthews said no tickets are charges were being brought against the truck driver.

Matthews said the truck, owned by Wastontown Trucking Co. of Milton, PA, did not have any mechanical problems and the driver had all the necessary paperwork for the truck.

The accident victim was assisted by Rye Brook Police and Port Chester-Rye Brook EMS, and Westchester County Police conducted an accident investigation. Police also notified the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration about the injury to the worker.