MAY 11, 2015
YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN
A construction worker who
was trapped underneath a collapsed floor in the basement of Ypsilanti's
Thompson Block died Monday.
Joyce Williams, of Huron Valley Ambulance, confirmed the man was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital on Monday afternoon, shortly after he was transported from the scene.
Joyce Williams, of Huron Valley Ambulance, confirmed the man was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital on Monday afternoon, shortly after he was transported from the scene.
EMT workers could be seen performing chest compressions on
the man once they were able to get him out from underneath the rubble and to
the time they loaded him into the ambulance.
Williams said the family of the man has been notified, but
his name and age have not been released.
The man was working
on renovations at Thompson Block — at 400 N. River St. — that have been
ongoing since January. Ypsilanti Fire Department Capt. Dan Cain said a crew of
four men were in the basement of the building clearing room for an excavator to
be brought down when the first floor collapsed.
Three others who were in the basement were uninjured in the
collapse, but the deceased man was trapped underneath the floor and a pile of
wood sitting on the first floor, as well. The three men tried to remove some of
the flooring on top of the man, but had to be careful not to remove a piece and
bring more of the rubble down on them.
Cain said the man was communicating with his co-workers
shortly after the floor collapsed, but eventually stopped responding.
Emergency crews were called to the scene at about 11:45 a.m.
and had the man out of the rubble about 20 minutes later.
Cain said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
was conducting an investigation of the site as well Monday afternoon.
A news release issued by the city of Ypsilanti Monday
afternoon said the city had issued interior demolition permits for the site.
The site was taped off Monday afternoon as investigations
are ongoing.
Source: http://www.mlive.com
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A construction worker was in critical condition Monday
afternoon after a floor
collapsed at the Thompson Block construction site.
A full floor fell on top of the worker at the historic
building in Ypsilanti's Depot Town.
The worker, who was unconscious, was taken to St. Joseph
Mercy Hospital, according to Ypsilanti Fire Department Capt. Dan Cain. The
worker's name and age were not available.
The historic building, 400 N. River, is currently
under construction after a 2009 fire gutted the building. Construction
began Dec. 23. The development plans call for first-floor retail space and
lofts above.
On Monday morning, building owner Stewart Beal tweeted that
the first floor of the building was being demolished today.
Demolition of 1st floor 5-11-15
— Stewart Beal (@stewartbeal) May 11, 2015
Cain said crews arrived on scene in two minutes after
getting the call at 11:45 a.m. It took roughly 22 minutes to stabilize the
structure and get the injured worker out.
A combination of area first responders along with the
Washtenaw Technical Rescue Team were all on the scene.
Getting the injured worker out wasn't so simple.
"If you move the wrong piece of lumber at the wrong
time you're going to make the problem worse," said Cain. "It's not
just a matter of grabbing stuff and throwing it off."
Cain estimated that the emergency crews wouldn't be the
scene for that much longer. The crews needed to fully secure the building
before letting investigators in.
The cause of the collapse is under investigation.