Worker killed by collapsed column at Illinois State University

2009-12-29 04:27:56 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Employment Law, Justice News Flash)

Legal news for Illinois employment attorneys. A worker was killed while trying to remove a collapsed column at Hovey Hall.

Illinois employment lawyers alerts- A fatal accident occurred at Illinois State University when a concrete column fell on a excavator.

Bloomington, IL—A worker was killed while trying to remove a collapsed column with an excavator at Illinois State University’s Hovey Hall. The fatal workplace accident occurred on Saturday, December 26, 2009 around 2:30 p.m., as reported by Pantagraph.com.

The Stark Excavating Inc. employee, Stephen D. White, 57, of Bloomington, was reportedly operating an excavator while removing a section of a four-story column that had collapsed. The concrete column surrounded a steel pillar in the middle of the column, which was split down the middle, lengthwise. Half of the column fell towards the roadway while the other half fell backward toward the front of the building. White was lowering the 18,000 pound piece of the column that was falling backwards towards the building, when it suddenly broke loose and fell onto the cab of the excavator. The heavy piece of column crushed the cab of the excavator, and killed White. According to autopsy results, White died from a hemorrhage due to the severe trauma he sustained to his lower body. It is currently unknown what caused the concrete column to collapse. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) http://www.osha.gov/ are reportedly conducting a full investigation into the workplace death.

Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for Illinois employment lawyers.