Officials look on as workers string caution tape at the scene of an construction site explosion USCB's south campus on Tuesday. A construction worker was injured when a pipe exploded where a new parking lot is being built. Mike Majer, owner of Majer's Diving and Salvage Inc., said the employee was conscious before he was taken Savannah's Memorial University Medical Center for treatment just after 10:30 a.m. Bluffton Township Fire Capt. Randy Hunter declined to comment on the severity of the injuries but said they were "significant enough that he had to be airlifted to a local trauma center. JAY KARR — Jay Karr
By LUCAS HIGH
lhigh@islandpacket.com
August 19, 2015
The construction worker injured in a pipe explosion Tuesday morning at a University of South Carolina Beaufort's south campus work site has been released from the hospital.
Mike Majer, the injured worker's boss at Majer's Diving and Salvage Inc., has repeatedly declined to identify the man but said Wednesday morning that the worker was released from Savannah's Memorial University Medical Center late Tuesday afternoon.
"He's at home recovering," he said. "He's banged up and bruised up, but he's ok."
Majer said there is no timetable for when the employee will be back to work.
"He'll be back whenever he feels up to it," Majer said. "There's no rush. We just want him to get back to 100 percent."
The employee was airlifted to the hospital at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday after an explosion in a pipe he was working on.
Majer attributed the accident to faulty equipment and said it involved an inflatable pipe plug becoming "overpressurized and exploding."
The specific nature of the malfunction remains unclear. The equipment belongs to Majer's company, he said.
South Carolina OSHA spokeswoman Lesia Kudelka said in an email Wednesday the organization "is currently evaluating the accident to determine whether it will investigate."
JS Construction Services is overseeing the parking lot construction project.
Owner John Lopat said Wednesday construction has resumed, but declined to comment further on Tuesday's incident.
"It was an accident and the insurance company is handling it. That's all I have to say about it," he said.
USCB spokeswoman Lynn McGee said crews were working to convert a dirt parking area into a paved lot at the time of the blast.
Students were on campus Tuesday and the Student Center was evacuated just after the explosion.
McGee said the evacuation was a precautionary measure and no students or university staff were in danger because the explosion was about 100 yards from the nearest building.
Fall classes at the university begin Thursday.
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