Army Veteran dies in Taunton construction accident

By Ana Bottary

@AnaBottary

abottary@abc6.com

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating after a 24-year-old construction worker was killed after falling on the job in Taunton.

"This morning I heard the news, I’m just torn apart.”

Joseph Mikolajczyk remembers Nicholas Dumont, of Pawtucket, as someone who always put others before himself. He was devastated when he heard the shocking news Friday morning that Dumont fell 40 feet to his death while working.

"It’s just sad, I can’t believe it happened," continues Mikolajczyk. He and Dumont have been friends since high school, Dumont picking him up every day.

"I feel like we had the same personality. We just always hung out…had good laughs together," adds Mikolajczyk.

After high school Dumont enlisted in the Army, and friends say he completed at least two tours in Iraq before working in construction.

Dumont was working for a subcontractor of Suffolk Construction at the Myles Standish Industrial Complex when he fell to his death Friday morning. This is the second fatality for Suffolk Construction this year, the other occurring back in June.

"It is a reality that a fatal injury can occur. For us, we take safety extremely serious. It’s our number one priority at the company, so we are focused right now on figuring out exactly what has happened," says the spokesperson for Suffolk Construction, Kim Steimlevaughan.

Few details have been released as to how the incident happened, but the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office says it appears to have been an accident, and no foul play is suspected.

Construction at the site will be put on pause until further notice. Dumont’s friends and family say they’ll always remember him for his loyalty and his ambition.

© WLNE-TV 2015