NOT SAFE FOR WORK

Body of Construction Worker Killed in Collapse of New Orleans Hard Rock Hotel Recovered 10 Months Later

“This has been a long journey,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.

Quinnyon Wimberly, a 36-year-old construction worker, died on the job when the half-complete Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans collapsed in October 2019. On Saturday, his body was finally recovered from the wreckage nearly ten months later. Family members looked on as construction crews cleared away debris and lowered the corpse to the ground. The remains of Anthony Magrette, 49, the second laborer who died at the Hard Rock, were removed the day after the disaster. The body of a third worker, Jose Ponce Areola, 63, has not yet been recovered. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the incident. The building is scheduled for demolition after the third body is removed. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said, “This has been a long journey, but the longest journey has been for the families most impacted by this collapse. [It was a] long time coming to get Quinnyon Wimberly out of the building. It was an intolerable wait.”