by JOHN LAUINGER and JONATHAN LEMIRE
A city engineer died Tuesday night after he fell 15 feet Tuesday while working in the attic of a Queens courthouse, officials said.
Henry Chang was found unconscious in the attic of Queens Civil Supreme Court in Long Island City by firefighters who crawled through a maze of pipes to get to him.
"It was a tricky rescue because he was badly hurt and there were a lot of obstacles for the guys to navigate," said FDNY Battalion Chief Brian White.
Chang was working on the air conditioning in the attic equipment room about 11a.m. when the wooden plank he was standing on collapsed, White said.
He toppled to the concrete floor below, hitting his head and losing consciousness.
"Henry Chang was a highly experienced professional who was a role model and teacher for younger, less-experienced employees," said Martha Hirst, commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.
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