Worker dies in East Side Access tunnel

A contractor working underground on the Long Island Rail Road's East Side Access tunnel excavation project was killed Thursday night when a piece of concrete fell on him, officials said Friday.

The worker, Michael O'Brien, 26, was employed by Manhattan-based Dragados/Judlau Joint Venture, one of several contracting agencies involved in the MTA's plan to link the LIRR to Grand Central Terminal via newly-bored subterranean tunnels.

MTA spokesman Aaron Donovon said a piece of dried "shotcrete" -- a type of concrete applied on cavern walls as part of the project -- fell on O'Brien while he was working under Park Avenue at 8 p.m. Thursday.

"Everyone associated with the project is heartbroken over the loss of Michael O'Brien. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and co-workers," Dragados/Judlau spokesman Richard D. Mulieri said in a statement. "The safety of the public and our workers is a top priority of the Joint Venture. We voluntarily suspended work and are cooperating fully with all organizations involved in the project to investigate the incident."

O'Brien, originally from Wisconsin, was working on the new tunnels alongside his father, who worked for the same company but was not identified by Dragaos/Judlau officials. The company plans to pay to fly O'Brien's father home with his son's remains and also for funeral costs.

More than two dozen tunnel workers, known as sandhogs, have died over the years in projects around New York City, according to The Associated Press.