Police ID Man Killed in Construction Accident at Sikorsky Airport

A 57-year-old Naugatuck man was killed in a construction accident at Sikorsky Memorial Airport on Thursday morning.

Police identified the man as Antonio Simoes, an employee of Manafort Construction.

Simoes was in a trench using an gasoline-powered saw to cut a water main when the saw apparently kicked back and struck his neck shortly after 8 a.m., according to police.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the construction company, Simoes began working for Manafort in 1996.

Air traffic in and out of Sikorsky was suspended for most of the day on Thursday as police investigated, but the airport reopened at 5 p.m.

Bridgeport and Stratford police are investigating, along with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and Manafort's safety team.

The construction company resumed work on the water main around 2:30 p.m. and the the final repair was expected to take around five hours.

"Manafort Brothers Incorporated is a family owned business and on behalf of our owners and employees we express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of our departed colleague," Manafort said in a statement on Thursday evening. "The company takes safety seriously and it is our sincere desire for all of our employees to go home safe at the end of each day. To lose an employee is heartbreaking, our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time."

The project the man was working on is part of ongoing airport safety upgrades, city officials said.

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