Richard Tsong-Taatarii, Star Tribune
Gallery: 1 dead, 1 injured at Vikings stadium construction site
Construction workers, wearing their yellow vests, filed out of the stadium in a grim mood, barely an hour after their shift had begun.
By John Anderson August 26, 2015
Minneapolis, Minnesota
One worker was killed and another injured during construction Wednesday morning on the roof at the new Minnesota Vikings stadium.
The workers, from Berwald Roofing, were hurt about 7:45 a.m. on the stadium’s north side, said a statement from John Wood, senior vice president for Mortenson Construction.
Both were treated at the scene and taken to nearby Hennepin County Medical Center, Wood said. The surviving worker was in serious condition, he added.
One man fell to his death from the roof into a snow gutter 50 feet below, construction officials said during a media briefing, while the other was injured on the roof. Mortenson said it doesn’t yet have information on whether the two were wearing safety harnesses.
The incident brought work on the stadium to a halt. The site is usually teeming with 1,200 workers daily. Wood said it’s possible that construction could resume Thursday.
Berwald is a roofing and sheet metal company in North St. Paul whose projects include Target Field, Williams Arena and Highland Library. The owners, brothers Gene and Ken Berwald, and other company officials were not immediately available for comment.
Apprentice electrician Coshay Murray was waiting to get picked up after the incident.
“We’re all a little traumatized today,” he said.
A rescue effort by Fire Department personnel retrieved the injured victim from a crevice of the roof, according to authorities. Fire crew members used a rescue basket, ropes and cables to retrieve the person atop the future home of the pro football team, according to the department.
There is no immediate word on how the incident on the east edge of downtown occurred.
Mortenson has been involved in many of the major sports construction projects in the Twin Cities in recent years, including Target Field, TCF Bank Stadium and the Xcel Energy Center. There were no deaths associated with any of those efforts.
Messages of sadness and condolence came in from many quarters within hours of the incident.
“Today is an extremely sad day for the Minnesota Vikings organization and the entire stadium team,” Vikings management said in a statement. “Our sincere thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the individual who passed away, the worker who remains hospitalized, and the more than 1,000 dedicated construction workers who are on the site every day and are also affected by this accident.”
After morning practice Wednesday, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said, “I was told about the accident at the stadium. … It’s a sad day for us. Our prayers and thoughts go out to the families.”
Mayor Betsy Hodges said that “we in Minneapolis grieve for the loss of the worker who lost his life in a tragic accident. … We also send our wishes for a thorough and speedy recovery to the other worker who was injured today.”
Demolition of the 32-year-old Metrodome occurred in early 2014, and construction of the new building began shortly thereafter.
From the beginning, the project has been moving toward opening next summer for the 2016 NFL season.
Installation of purple seats began last week, and the roof was to be completed by winter.
In late March, high winds blew down scaffolding on the edge of the stadium project. The roof of a trailer was damaged, but no one was hurt.
In the fiscal years from 2010 through 2014, Minnesota OSHA investigated 27 fatalities due to falls, said agency spokesman James Honerman. Citations issued or workplace “fall protection” violations in Minnesota totaled 564 in fiscal year 2014, Honerman added.
Here is info from this roofing company's web pages:
BERWALD ROOFING COMPANY, INC.
MINNESOTA’S PREMIER ROOFING, WALL PANEL, AND SHEET METAL COMPANY
Welcome to Berwald Roofing & Sheet Metal Company, Minnesota’s premier roofing, wall panel, and sheet metal company. Whether you’re an architectural firm, contractor or private owner, we’ll work with you to fulfill all your roofing, wall panel, and sheet metal needs with service you can rely on from the initial concept of a project to completion.
Berwald is a full service company – no job is too large or extraordinary. We are a leading contractor in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area specializing in all forms of roofing, waterproofing, architectural wall panels, and architectural/ ornamental sheet metal. Our management team has a combined 371 years of construction experience, and we employee over 180 field personnel (20 years average experience) and 14 management and supervisor personnel. Whatever your needs, we have the knowledge and expertise to get the job done right.