After being pinned under a large “rebar cage,” a construction worker had to be rescued with a crane.
The accident happened around 10 a.m. on Friday on Long Wharf Drive. Workers with Walsh Construction have been putting in concrete supports for a new Route 34 flyover.
“We had a man trapped under the rebar cage,” explained Tom Glaser, a general superintendent with Walsh. He said it was the first accident that Walsh has had on the job site since it began working on the flyover eight months ago.
Workers put rebar supports in place before pouring concrete. A visit to the site found a large rebar structure that that had collapsed to one side. Several layers of scaffolding had fallen on top.
The man who was pinned was a subcontractor for Walsh, Glaser said. Workers used a crane to pull up the metal cage and extract him after the accident.
He said that cause of the collapse was not yet known. “We’re still doing the investigation,” he said.
Work was stopped after the accident and the workers were sent home for the day, said Glaser: “It’s just emotional, you know?”
The company will be back at it on Monday, Glaser said.
Officer Lou Cavaliere, who was on the scene, said that there was a second worker injured in the accident. That worker had been standing on top of the cage when it crumpled. He suffered a knee injury, Cavaliere said.
The man pinned underneath is in an intensive care unit, Cavaliere said. “He’s pretty broken up.”
The accident falls under the purview of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. City police will not be investigating the accident, Cavaliere said. He offered a theory for the cause of the accident. “They think it was the wind.”
I know both workers and I am keeping them in my prayers.