Workers Rescued at Pa. Construction Collapse

Aug. 30, 2011
ARNOLD, Pa. -- Three workers were injured when a building under construction partially collapsed Monday afternoon in Arnold, Westmoreland County. Channel 4 Action News' Ari Hait reported that three men were carrying plywood when the roof collapsed in the 1300 block of Third Avenue. Two men were trapped under the rubble and had to be rescued, Hait reported. They were taken to an area hospital with moderate injuries after falling about 20 feet, Hait reported.

ARNOLD, Pa. --

Three workers were injured when a building under construction partially collapsed Monday afternoon in Arnold, Westmoreland County.

Channel 4 Action News' Ari Hait reported that three men were carrying plywood when the roof collapsed in the 1300 block of Third Avenue.

Two men were trapped under the rubble and had to be rescued, Hait reported. They were taken to an area hospital with moderate injuries after falling about 20 feet, Hait reported.

"(Firefighters) went in, stabilized the patients as quickly as possible and moved them out without doing any other kind of injury or harm to them," said Arnold Volunteer Fire Department Chief Don Ferrante.

A third man -- Michael Brown -- told Hait he fell about 8 feet before his ankle got caught in some plywood about 12 feet above the ground.

"I was just hanging upside down. I couldn't get myself down, and I was finally able to work myself back up and get a hold of the studs and pull myself back up," said Brown.

Brown said he suffered a few scrapes on his leg.

"All of the trusses rolled, and it's like a domino effect. Once one goes, they all sort of go," said Brown.

Ferrante said the contractor was loading plywood to begin work on the roof when either a crane hit the building or the structure collapsed from the added weight.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.

"It's kind of traumatizing because I know that tomorrow I got to get right back up there and do it all again -- that's my job," said Brown.

Copyright 2011 by WTAE. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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