A 50-year-old food deliveryman on a bicycle died Wednesday, two days after he was hit in the head by a branch that fell as a Parks Department contractor was pruning a tree as part of the agency's ongoing Sandy work in Brooklyn, authorities say.
Authorities say the tree was being pruned by an outside contractor when the branch fell, hitting the man as he rode near Coffey Park Monday afternoon.
The man's bike sat on the ground, surrounded by "Thank you" delivery bags and brown paper packages after the accident. A delivery menu for a restaurant called Lang Gi was on the ground nearby; the owner declined to speak with NBC 4 New York.
He was initially hospitalized in critical condition, but his condition deteriorated over the last 48 hours.
The Parks Department said in a statement Monday that it was conducting a thorough investigation.
Standard Parks Department safety protocols require maintaining a secure work zone with cones, caution tape and a worker on the ground to flag approaching pedestrians. It wasn't immediately clear if all those were in effect at the time of the accident.
The contractor hired to trim and prune the trees, identified as RML Construction, has no record of open complaints filed against it.
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New Yorkers should report damaged and fallen trees through the tree service request system on the Parks Department website or by calling 311.
