Jin An Liu
Jin An Liu
Monday, November 16, 2015
Age: 51
Location:
Pioneer Street
Red Hook
Brooklyn , NY
United States
Jin An Liu was known by friends as 'Bling'. His funeral was covered by the Daily News
A teary group of family and friends gathered in disbelief Wednesday to remember a Chinese food deliveryman crushed in the botched removal of a 2-ton Brooklyn tree.
The shattered widow of Jing An Liu screamed in her native Chinese
dialect inside a Chinatown funeral home, collapsing in front of the open
casket that held her late husband’s body.
“If there is any sign of this coming, at least people are prepared,” a
long-time friend named Peter said after the service. “But it happened
all of a sudden. It’s really hard to take in.”
Chinese immigrant Liu, 51, was fatally injured Nov. 16 while making a
bicycle delivery in Red Hook. Officials said a city contractor taking
down the 4,000-pound tree failed to follow safety procedures before the
tragedy.
Liu battled for two days before succumbing to his injuries, leaving
behind stunned family and friends. An intimate group of about 15
appeared inside a small at the Wah Wing San Funeral Home.
“He can’t do something like this to his friend,” said the 52-year-old
Peter. “One doesn’t leave his friend behind. We were friends in the
beginning, we should be friends till the end. He can’t just leave like
this.”
Liu and his wife both worked at the Ling Gee restaurant on Van Brunt
St., where she helped in the kitchen and he rode his bicycle as a
deliveryman.
The couple had a grown son, and Liu’s friend Peter said the two had
discussed the idea of getting off their bicycles and heading out of
Brooklyn — either to Long Island or their homeland.
“If he had done that, this would not have happened,” said Peter, a
former neighborhood deliveryman. “We used to joke all the time that we
might die in front of the restaurant.”
The tree that killed Liu was damaged three years ago by Hurricane
Sandy, and critics said it took too long to remove it from the street.
The New Jersey firm handling the tree takedown used a two-person crew
instead of the required four, and failed to properly secure the area
with cones and tape, officials said.
The huge falling tree crashed directly on Liu’s head as he pedaled along the street, eyewitnesses said.
“This is America ... How could this even happen?” asked the dead man’s
distraught friend. “There are so many people walking on the streets.
Today it’s him, tomorrow it could be anyone else.”
From DNA Info
RED HOOK — The Brooklyn delivery man who was struck by a branch from a tree being cut down by city contractors near Coffey Park on Monday has died, officials said Wednesday.
Jin
An Liu, whose age was not immediately known, was cycling on Pioneer
Street around 1 p.m. on Nov. 16 when the branch struck him, FDNY
officials said.
The Sandy-ravaged tree was being removed by RML
Construction, an outside contractor hired by the city for post-Hurricane
Sandy work, the Parks Department said.
Liu was critically injured in the incident and was rushed to New York Methodist Hospital.
"Our
thoughts are with Mr. Liu’s family at this time. NYC Parks has
suspended all current contracts with the outside contractor responsible
as we continue to conduct a thorough investigation of this incident," a
spokeswoman for the Parks Department said in an email.
Elected officials confirmed Liu's death Wednesday afternoon.
“My
heart breaks for this loss. The passing of one of our neighbors at such
a young age is tragic and our entire community mourns. All of us should
come together to provide Jin An Liu’s family with
compassion," Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez said in a statement.
A go fund page raised money amongst neighbors to support Liu's family.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Age: 51
Location:
Pioneer Street
Red Hook
Brooklyn , NY
United States
Jin An Liu was known by friends as 'Bling'. His funeral was covered by the Daily News
A teary group of family and friends gathered in disbelief Wednesday to remember a Chinese food deliveryman crushed in the botched removal of a 2-ton Brooklyn tree.
The shattered widow of Jing An Liu screamed in her native Chinese
dialect inside a Chinatown funeral home, collapsing in front of the open
casket that held her late husband’s body.
“If there is any sign of this coming, at least people are prepared,” a
long-time friend named Peter said after the service. “But it happened
all of a sudden. It’s really hard to take in.”
Chinese immigrant Liu, 51, was fatally injured Nov. 16 while making a
bicycle delivery in Red Hook. Officials said a city contractor taking
down the 4,000-pound tree failed to follow safety procedures before the
tragedy.
Liu battled for two days before succumbing to his injuries, leaving
behind stunned family and friends. An intimate group of about 15
appeared inside a small at the Wah Wing San Funeral Home.
“He can’t do something like this to his friend,” said the 52-year-old
Peter. “One doesn’t leave his friend behind. We were friends in the
beginning, we should be friends till the end. He can’t just leave like
this.”
Liu and his wife both worked at the Ling Gee restaurant on Van Brunt
St., where she helped in the kitchen and he rode his bicycle as a
deliveryman.
The couple had a grown son, and Liu’s friend Peter said the two had
discussed the idea of getting off their bicycles and heading out of
Brooklyn — either to Long Island or their homeland.
“If he had done that, this would not have happened,” said Peter, a
former neighborhood deliveryman. “We used to joke all the time that we
might die in front of the restaurant.”
The tree that killed Liu was damaged three years ago by Hurricane
Sandy, and critics said it took too long to remove it from the street.
The New Jersey firm handling the tree takedown used a two-person crew
instead of the required four, and failed to properly secure the area
with cones and tape, officials said.
The huge falling tree crashed directly on Liu’s head as he pedaled along the street, eyewitnesses said.
“This is America ... How could this even happen?” asked the dead man’s
distraught friend. “There are so many people walking on the streets.
Today it’s him, tomorrow it could be anyone else.”
From DNA Info
RED HOOK — The Brooklyn delivery man who was struck by a branch from a tree being cut down by city contractors near Coffey Park on Monday has died, officials said Wednesday.
Jin
An Liu, whose age was not immediately known, was cycling on Pioneer
Street around 1 p.m. on Nov. 16 when the branch struck him, FDNY
officials said.
The Sandy-ravaged tree was being removed by RML
Construction, an outside contractor hired by the city for post-Hurricane
Sandy work, the Parks Department said.
Liu was critically injured in the incident and was rushed to New York Methodist Hospital.
"Our
thoughts are with Mr. Liu’s family at this time. NYC Parks has
suspended all current contracts with the outside contractor responsible
as we continue to conduct a thorough investigation of this incident," a
spokeswoman for the Parks Department said in an email.
Elected officials confirmed Liu's death Wednesday afternoon.
“My
heart breaks for this loss. The passing of one of our neighbors at such
a young age is tragic and our entire community mourns. All of us should
come together to provide Jin An Liu’s family with
compassion," Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez said in a statement.
A go fund page raised money amongst neighbors to support Liu's family.