By: Justin Muszynski
Source: Hartford Courant
HARTFORD, Conn. — Eight people were injured, six of whom had to be rescued, when an apartment building under construction in New Haven partially collapsed on Friday afternoon.
Of the injured, one was in critical condition when they were brought to an area hospital from the site of the collapse, according to a Yale New Haven Hospital spokesperson.
The collapse was reported about 12:38 p.m. at a building on Lafayette Street, according to New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and New Haven Fire Chief John Alston Jr.
“Moving forward there will be a significant investigation as with any construction situation like this,” Elicker said.
The partial collapse happened as construction workers were pouring concrete, which Alston said began to pool in an area at a rate faster than the workers could handle. As a result, the area where the concrete slab was being poured gave way and caved in, bringing with it any workers in the area from the second floor through the first floor and into the basement, according to Alston.
According to Rick Fontana, New Haven’s director of emergency operations, people initially were trapped inside after the second floor dropped onto the first level. All of the victims were rescued as of 1:50 p.m., according to first responders at the scene.
“That building is still in a serious state,” Alston said, adding that some of the victims suffered broken bones, including those who were trapped under rubble.
Alston said the timing of the rescues and coordinating with the foreman to make sure all the workers were accounted for was very important, as wet concrete begins to dry.
A spokesman for Yale New Haven Hospital said the facility was treating all eight patients.
According to Elicker, Stamford-based RMS Companies owns the building and has a ground lease through Yale University. The construction is being done through RMS, the mayor said.
As of Friday, a “stop work” order was put into effect while the Occupational Safety and Health Organization investigates to “assure it won’t occur again,” Elicker said.
According to Elicker, the 112,000-square-foot building will have three levels of parking garages, including two underground and one on the first floor, followed by seven floors of what will be 112 residential units.
Pat Cannon, union president of the New Haven IAFF Local 825, said firefighters did an incredible job during a mass casualty situation in which timing and coordination were critical.
“It was amazing that they were able to get everybody out within an hour,” Cannon said.
A worker at the site, who wished to remain anonymous out of concerns for his job, said the area where the wet cement slab came down was between a shear wall and the foundation.
The worker also said multiple men on site fell anywhere from 40 to 50 feet when the wet slab collapsed, and that workers at the site were not able to pull them out from under the concrete and rebar.
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