UNION COUNTY, PA (WBRE/WYOU)
A construction worker is recovering tonight after being trapped for several minutes about 100 feet in the air, in Union County.
The worker was pinned after rebar - known as reinforcement steel- collapsed.
it happened in Union Township, just before 9 A.M. Monday morning.
A local fire department had to rescue the worker on top of a bridge pillar for the 'Central Susquehanna Valley thruway' project, know as C-S-V-T.
The construction worker was taking to the hospital with minor injuries.
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A construction worker had to be freed after being trapped by a shifting reinforcing bar on a bridge pier for the new Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway in Union County Monday morning.
A second worker was also trapped but was able to free himself, said David Thompson, PennDOT District 3 spokesman. The workers are employed by Trumbull Corp. of Pittsburgh.
It took emergency responders an hour to free the trapped worker, Thompson said. Neither had serious injuries, and were taken to a local hospital to be evaluated.
Work was halted by the contractor at the pier until the accident is investigated, and OSHA is on site, Thompson said.
The pier was being built east of Route 15 near the Susquehanna River.
The bridge, estimated to cost $156 million, is the first phase in the $670 million Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation Project.
The CSVT project includes construction of a 13-mille limited access highway connecting Route147 in Northumberland with Routes 11/15 in Snyder County north of Selinsgrove. When completed, the river bridge will be more than 4,500 feet long with a peak elevation of 180 feet. Completion of the project is expected in 2019.
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One saved in 100-foot rescue at CSVT bridge site
By Eric Scicchitano The Daily Item
19 hrs ago
A construction worker trapped 100 feet above ground Monday at the Winfield site of the river bridge project for the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway was cut free and rescued from steel rebar that collapsed.
“There were four workers on top of one of the piers. They were preparing for the next concrete pour and were securing the rebar. The structure bent for some reason. Nobody really knows why at this point,” said Chief Rick Wetzel of the Union Township Fire Co.
Two men were trapped in the rebar when it collapsed atop a concrete bridge pier. One of the workers managed to free himself. The second worker was stuck about 45 minutes.
“He was in the middle of the rebar,” Wetzel said.
A crane was used to steady the rebar as the rescue operation ensued, Wetzel said. The two workers caught in the collapse and two others working atop the pier were brought down to ground on construction man lifts. Emergency responders and contractors worked together to reach the rebar and free the trapped man.
“Really, there are no trucks around tall enough to reach that,” Wetzel said.
The incident was reported at 9:10 a.m., according to Union County 911 Communications.
The unidentified worker suffered a shoulder injury that appeared to be minor, Wetzel said. The fire chief added it was the company’s first emergency call to the bridge construction site.
Assisting on scene were William Cameron Engine Co., Lewisburg, Shamokin Dam Fire Co., and medics from Mifflinburg Community Ambulance Association and Evangelical Community Hospital, according to the 911 center.
David Thompson, PennDOT's District 3 spokesman, said it’s unclear what caused the rebar to collapse.
“We don’t know at this time,” Thompson said. “We’re not aware of any serious injuries.”
Thompson said work was halted until an investigation is conducted.
Trumbull Corp., of Pittsburgh, is the lead project contractor.
The construction site is near the Susquehanna River east of Route 15 in Union County.
The $155 million river bridge, the first phase of the $650 million CSVT project, will be more than 4,500 feet long with an elevation of 180 feet. It's projected to be completed in 2019.