Construction Worker Falls Down Elevator Shaft At Home Under Construction
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A construction worker was rushed to the hospital after falling down an elevator shaft at a home under construction in the West End.
Emergency crews were called to the scene around 1:35 p.m. at a new home on Republic Street.
The homes were all new and under construction, and each has an elevator shaft.
According to officials, the worker was on the third floor of the home, painting the door to the elevator when he leaned back too far. He fell down the shaft all the way to the first floor of the home.
A second construction worker, who was returning to the home to pick up some tools, found the worker after hearing banging coming from the area of the shaft.
Each of the six houses will have an elevator. The worker who fell was painting inside one of the homes and he was alone. Mike Greer just happened to stop by this afternoon, and it's a good thing he did.
"I'm working on a separate job downtown and I showed up here to pick up some tools that I needed," Greer said. "I heard banging and someone screaming."
Greer says he walked over to the opening where the elevator would go.
"I looked over and I saw the guy lying there and he said help I can't move and I immediately called 911."
The victim had fallen three floors. According to Greer, there were two by four boards that blocked the entrance to the shaft. The victim must have fallen through them and was using them to bang on the walls.
"He was trying to get someone to notice him, Greer said. "He was banging making as much noise as he could and someone's attention. He must've been lying down there for awhile because he sounded exhausted, like he couldn't scream anymore."
The victim was said to be alert when he was taken to UPMC Mercy in critical condition.
Construction was halted on the site and many of the workers went to the hospital to be with the victim.
Police are investigating the fall.
