Construction Worker Dies in Fall in Toccoa

A man is dead after an incident at a construction site in downtown Toccoa.

Toccoa Police and other first responders were called to the construction site at First Baptist Church of Toccoa on Tugalo Street just before 9 a.m.

“There was a worker on a steel beam and he fell,” said Police Chief Tim Jarrell. “He has appeared to have suffered a head injury. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the (Stephens County) Coroner’s Office. The victim is a 35-year-old possible Hispanic male from Gainesville, Georgia.”

The identity of the man is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Jarrell said the man fell between 13 and 14 feet.

He went on to say that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, and the Stephens County Coroner’s Office are investigating with the assistance of the Toccoa Police Department.

“We do not believe foul play is involved at this time,” said Jarrell. “However, we still investigate all deaths as if they are a criminal matter until proven otherwise.”

Jarrell said the body will be sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for an autopsy.