Bridgeport, CT, Technicans Rescue Worker after Partial House Collapse
Connecticut Post, Bridgeport
(TNS)
Oct. 21—BRIDGEPORT — A construction worker injured in a partial collapse at a Stratford Avenue construction site Monday morning is expected to make a full recovery, according to city officials.
The man was wheeled out of the residence in the 1000 block on a stretcher and placed into an ambulance around 12:40 p.m.
Mayor Joe Ganim said a side wall of the building's foundation had crumbled and collapsed into the basement and buried a 35-year-old worker up to his knees as he was standing. Fire crews responded to a "construction accident" at the property at 9:10 a.m., and the second collapse took place at 9:45 a.m., according to a city press release.
Bridgeport Fire Chief Lance Edwards said the worker suffered injuries to his lower extremities, but should make a full recovery. He said the worker was conscious and alert during the ordeal.
"As serious and somber as this whole thing is, it's at this point a very happy ending to what could have been a very terrible tragedy," Ganim said near the scene.
Bridgeport fire Lt. Gregory Prior, who responded as a safety officer, said a construction team had been excavating and working on the foundation when part of it gave way below a window. He said first responders used struts and lumber as they built new pillars and columns under rafters to prevent further collapse. The damage could have been "much worse," Prior added.
"It's a very old home," Prior said. "It's under rehabilitation. The foundation is the oldest part of it, so it's dark, it's dusty, it's unsafe, it's uneven. So there was a lot of challenges that we were up against."
Prior said the worker appeared to be standing and using a shovel below the level of the basement floor from to his knees down. To remove him, Prior said about 15 firefighters took turns digging and moving boulders with their hands because the space was too tight to fit shovels and other tools.
"Lot of hands and hard work," he said.
Prior said a Spanish-speaking firefighter on scene was able to translate between the worker and first responders during the rescue mission. He said a doctor from a nearby hospital also reached the scene to assess his injuries, and the worker was able to receive some medication to manage the pain.
"He was pinched pretty bad," Prior said. "And if you could imagine building sandcastles at the beach, and the sand just keeps pouring in as you're digging, that's kind of what we were up against."
He said further collapse remains possible, so some of the department's tools were set to stay in place until a building inspector clears the site.
Edwards said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, was at the scene and would conduct an investigation. The city's fire department and fire marshal will also investigate, he said.
Ganim estimated that 2 or 3 feet of collapsed debris spread about 20 feet wide through the basement. Edwards said the collapse took place in the building's back left side.
Edwards said an initial collapse occurred and then a second happened that added more debris within the basement of a multi-family residence. He said the two collapses likely took place within 20 to 25 minutes of one another, and the second happened once first responders were at the scene.
Edwards said the building was in the process of being renovated and the second collapse occurred after first responders arrived. Edwards said the foundation is "basically rocks" that can give away over time.
Local property records show the residence was built in 1920 and last sold in December 2021.
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