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City Fires Contractor Responsible For Tree That Killed Cyclist In Red Hook

Lauren Evans

Published Nov 24, 2015

Modified Nov 24, 2015

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Mark Mellone

Lauren Evans

Published Nov 24, 2015

Modified Nov 24, 2015

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A Brooklyn city councilman is introducing a series of bills that would require the Parks Department to use certified arborists for routine work, following the death of a bicycle delivery man who was crushed by a falling tree in Red Hook last week.

According to the the Daily News, Councilman Mark Treyger is adamant that potentially unstable trees be dealt with in a more effective manner. The work being done in Coffey Park was long-delayed cleanup from Hurricane Sandy, though parks officials say that salt water damage in trees can take more than five years to manifest.

“It should not take over three years to safely remove trees that were killed by Hurricane Sandy,” Treyger told the tabloid.

Jin Liu, 50, was riding through the park last week at the same time a contractor for the Parks Department was pruning a 4,000 pound London Plane tree. It appears that workers failed to adequately warn Liu that he was biking into the path of the tree before it fell, pinning him beneath. He was taken to Methodist Hospital, but died two days later.

RML, the outside contractor who was hired to prune the tree, failed to follow basic rules to prevent incidents like last week's from happening. The Parks Department reports that it suspended all RML contracts last week, and that the de Blasio administration has increased funding for street tree pruning by 75 percent, effectively doubling the Trees & Sidewalks repair program. Its forestry staff has also been increased by 12 percent.

An investigation revealed that RML neglected to use a four-person crew as required, nor did they secure the area with cones and tape. Witnesses recounted that the two-man crew cutting the tree did not tape off the area or mark it with cones, and one said he heard no warning as Liu entered the fall area. What's more, the Carlstadt, New Jersey firm lists its specialty as paving and road construction, making no mention of tree removal.

So far no criminal charges have been brought against anyone involved in the fatal incident.

Tagged

coffey park

parks department

red hook

rml construction

Lauren Evans

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