$46K in Fines Issued After Collapse That Killed Long-Time Worker at Bar Harbor Hotel
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BAR HARBOR—The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Courtcon Inc. to pay approximately $46,000 in penalties related to the death of Mark King, who was crushed early morning on February 24 when a porte-cochère at the Regency Hotel collapsed.
The porte-cochère provides shelter to people leaving or entering buildings from a vehicle. It is a common, roofed structure used on American hotels and other buildings. The hotel was closed at the time of the accident.
Bar Harbor police officers also responded to the scene.
The penalties are related to workplace safety violations.
Mark King was 64 when he died and was working on the porte-cochère’s demolishment. King had strong ties to the company, Old Town, Mount Desert Island, and Florida. He’d worked for the company for more than three decades.
The Regency is owned by Ocean Properties LTD. The firm, founded by Thomas Walsh of Bangor, runs multiple hotels in North America. Those include the West Street Hotel and Harborside Hotel in Bar Harbor.
Courtcon is a subsidiary of Ocean Properties according to New Hampshire records. Its principals are William and Patrick Walsh. On the New Hampshire company registry it cites that the company’s purpose is “to own, operate, and manage constructions and related projects.” It’s based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as is Ocean Properties. In 2003, it was cited for a workplace injury by OSHA officials in New Hampshire after a worker fell multiple stories.
Citations included not training employees well enough about demolition safety requirements, not making sure employees wore helmets, not having an engineering survey prior to the demolition, and not having inspections of the porte-cochère during the work to mitigate and identify any hazards.
OSHA is currently investigating another workplace incident with Les Entreprises Precision Inc., which is unrelated, but occurred at the Conners Emerson rebuild in March when a worker fell.
MARK KING
The Bangor Daily News’ Bill Trotter first released the story regarding the violations and fines and quoted Ocean Properties’ Director of Local Operations Eben Salvatore as saying of King, “He was always very professional and had decades of experience working on construction and renovation projects at many of our properties. What occurred in February was a very unfortunate, tragic, and isolated incident. We continue to mourn the loss of Mark. We will always think of him as our lifelong friend and colleague.”
According to King’s obituary, “For over four decades, Mark dedicated himself to his career as a project manager and ‘Mr. Fix It’ for Ocean Properties, LTD, earning the respect and admiration of colleagues and friends alike. His hands could build, repair, and restore anything, but his greatest pride was in building a beautiful life for his family, no matter the cost.”
King loved riding motorcycles, mechanics-related things, snowmobiling, and “working on his dream project—the King Camp at Chemo Pond.”
According to the obituary, “these passions brought him happiness, but nothing compared to the love he had for his family.”
“Mark was like a family member to all of us. We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss and hold our thoughts and prayers with his family,” Salvatore told the Bar Harbor Story in February.
King’s parents were Carol St. Peter and Edward King. He leaves behind his wife, Sharon King, and his children: Cody, Brandon, and Cassidy, as well as two grandchildren: Braxtyn and Morgan.
According to his obituary his grandchildren were his most recent blessings “who brought a new meaning to his life.”
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