Construction worker killed in New York building collapse

Last week, construction workers were in the process of demolishing a 100-year-old warehouse when the building suddenly collapsed, burying three workers in a huge pile of concrete, bricks and steel. Although emergency responders were able to extricate all three from the rubble, the men suffered serious injuries, ultimately resulting in one worker’s death.

According to police reports, the fatal construction accident occurred as the workers were demolishing the two-story warehouse as part of Columbia University’s expansion. Although the exact cause of the incident is not yet known, a New York City spokesman says that it may have been triggered by the severing of a key structural beam earlier that morning.

When the building collapsed, three construction workers became trapped in the rubble. Two men were buried up to their chests in concrete slabs, steel beams and bricks, but emergency responders were able to rescue them from the debris. They were taken to a nearby hospital, where one of the men passed away.

A third worker was buried in an “air-filled void deep in the wreckage,” with a steel pipe pinning his legs, a concrete slab across one of his arms and various beams and bricks across his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. Because of his location, it took responders close to an hour to extricate him from the rubble as they simultaneously dug out and stabilized the debris to prevent further injuries.

Both of the surviving construction workers were said to be in stable condition following the incident. City officials continue to investigate the collapse to determine its cause.

Source: New York Times, “Construction Worker Killed in Building Collapse in Manhattan,” Al Baker, Mar. 22, 2012