Worker killed in ‘substantial’ fall during partial collapse of Boston parking garage
A Boston construction worker was killed Saturday, March 26, when a parking garage he was helping demolish partially collapsed in Massachusetts, officials told news outlets.
The collapse was reported around 5:40 p.m. at the Government Center parking garage, Boston Fire Commissioner Jack Dempsey said during a news conference recorded by CBS News. First responders arrived to find a worker, who has not been publicly identified, at the bottom of the structure after a “substantial fall.” He was pronounced dead.
Dempsey said the collapse happened as the garage was being demolished. All other workers are accounted for.
One person who witnessed the collapse was taken to a hospital, CNN reported, but their condition wasn’t available.
The cause of the collapse remains under investigation. But Kelley McCormick with the Boston Police Department said during the news conference that it appears the worker was in a small crane when it fell approximately nine stories during the collapse.
Officials said the worker’s body won’t be recovered until engineers determine the structure is stable, CNN reported.
“We’re not going to put anybody in there until it’s safe to do so,” Dempsey said, according to CNN.
The streets around the garage were shut down on the evening of March 26, The Boston Globe reported.
The Boston Fire Department told McClatchy News on Sunday, March 27, that no further information on the collapse was available and that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, was leading the investigation.
OSHA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
John Moriarty & Associates, the company overseeing the demolition of the garage, said in a statement to The Boston Globe that its “heartfelt thoughts and condolences go out to the loved ones of the worker who lost his life.”
“Structural engineers will ensure the site is safe and secure before any work resumes,” the company said.
The company told NBC Boston that it “remains committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for all our employees and trade partners.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu called the incident a “horrible tragedy,” according to NBC Boston.
“My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of the worker,” Wu said, according to CNN. “The city will work to do whatever it takes to understand what happened here.”
This story was originally published March 27, 2022 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Worker killed in ‘substantial’ fall during partial collapse of Boston parking garage."
