Construction worker dies after falling off roof in Palatine, police say

PALATINE, Ill. (WLS) -- A construction worker died after falling off of a roof Wednesday in the northwest suburbs.

The incident happened around 3:48 p.m. on West Mahogany Court in Palatine, police said.

ABC7 spoke with his coworkers, who were still on site well into the evening, shaken to the core.

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First responders arrived at the scene within minutes for a report of a construction worker falling from a rood and found a 40-year-old man, who was found unresponsive, Palatine police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has yet been released.

The man's coworkers were shocked as tragedy struck at the Groves of Palatine, a 20-year-old upscale condominium complex undergoing roof work.

"Saw the rope whip in the air, and I saw him halfway down and. for us too, for us to lower our ourselves down... we had to remove a latch and it was not that easy... it was just in a matter of seconds," a coworker said. "There was a rope, but I don't know if he didn't latch it on right I don't know. I mean, like I said, everything happened in seconds. I immediately went into shock, obviously it was just an unfortunate accident."

ABC7 talked to other members of the crew, including the brother of the deceased, who said that the team was proud to work together on the complex. No, police tape surrounds what was a busy construction site.

No further information about the incident was immediately available as local officials and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, continue to investigate.