Construction workers who fell down Naples elevator shaft identified

Two construction workers building the shaft of an elevator were killed Wednesday evening at the Club Brittany of Park Shore, according to the Naples Police Department.

The shaft was approximately 110 feet above the ground at the building on the 4000 block of Gulf Shore Blvd North, according to police. They fell between 10 and 11 floors.

“The two individuals fell inside the maintenance elevator,” said Naples Police Department Lt. Seth Finman.

The victims have been identified as Enreique Gonzales, 43, and Wojiech “Walter” Iwansowski, 48, and were employees of Sunbelt Rentals.

“The workers were constructing the temporarily elevator shaft when, unfortunately, it snapped and fell,” Finman said.

Police say the temporary elevator shaft was being used to paint the side of the building.

“It’s traumatic,” said Naples resident Merrilee Doyle. “They put their life in somebody elses’s hand.”

Doyle lives next door to the Club Brittany of Park Shore condominiums and says she has noticed a lot of construction in the area ever since Hurricane Irma.

“It could’ve been my building,” Doyle said. “Our building is supposed to be painted, and we’re going to have those people on our building eventually.”

The incident occurred during the 5th annual Stand Down for Safety week hosted by OSHA to prevent construction work-related deaths.

OSHA is opening an investigation to look into the incident. They say it could take up to six months to complete the investigation.

WINK News reporter Jessica Alpern was live at the condominium complex Thursday morning with updated information.