2 workers still hospitalized after partial building collapse in New Haven; investigation underway
Six construction workers injured in a partial building collapse in New Haven, Connecticut, last week have been released from a hospital, while two others continue to be treated and are in fair condition, a hospital spokesperson said Monday.
More Stories
Six construction workers injured in a partial building collapse in New Haven, Connecticut, last week have been released from a hospital, while two others continue to be treated and are in fair condition, a hospital spokesperson said Monday.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said one of the people still in the hospital is in the intensive care unit, while the other is stable and recovering. “Obviously, we're very much praying for the individual in intensive care and his full recovery,” Elicker said at a news conference.
A section of the building, which is under construction, collapsed Friday when concrete apparently was being poured on the second above-ground floor faster than workers could spread it and the mixture pooled too much in one area, city officials said.
The collapse went into the basement parking garage, leaving behind mangled rebar and other debris. Three workers were partially buried in the rubble. First responders pulled out several victims using ladder trucks, ropes and rescue baskets.
Eight workers were taken to Yale New Haven Hospital with various injuries including broken bones and two were in critical condition. Six were discharged between Friday and Monday, hospital spokesperson Mark D'Antonio said. (DELETE THIS He said he did not have details on the remaining two patients' injuries.)
OSHA is investigating the cause of the collapse, which Elicker said will take time. He pledged to support the investigation.
“We, in addition to OSHA reviewing that, have started to review our internal processes to make sure our inspections were all done correctly, and up to now, we have identified that everything that we are responsible for on our end was done appropriately,” Elicker said.
He explained that New Haven’s inspection process includes requiring a third-party inspector to come on site before such a large concrete pour like the one at 188 Lafayette St. A stop-work order was issued Friday, but plans call for the building to be seven stories and 112 units. RMS Companies is behind the project. CEO Randy Salvatore released the following statement over the weekend:
“First and foremost, the safety of our construction teams is our top priority. Our thoughts are focused on a full recovery for those who were injured, and we greatly appreciate the heroic work of the first responders. We will continue to work with our engineers and safety team and all of the appropriate government agencies to fully investigate the incident."
Elicker said there’s a lot of checks and balances in the construction process to avoid this type of situation so it’s important to understand exactly what occurred.
“We want to make sure that this never happens again,” he reiterated.
New Haven’s building inspector also said there had been no issues with RMS at that site or any of their buildings in the city.
MORE: 8 construction workers injured as building partially collapses near Yale medical school
