Worker falls to death on construction site

RICHMOND, Va. -- A construction worker has fallen 65 feet to his death at a hotel being built in western Henrico County.

Police say 25-year-old Mathew Hawf died instantly Tuesday morning after apparently losing his balance. The state Department of Labor and Industry is investigating Hawf's death, which tentatively has been ruled an accident.

Hawf, of Liverpool, Illinois, worked for Tri-State Erectors, an Oxford, North Carolina, company. An Occupational Safety and Health Administration Web site says Tri-State has been cited in the past five years for several "fall prevention" safety violations.

Thomas Cortright Jr., the company's president, declined to discuss the citations or the details of Hawf's death.