Worker Killed, Another Hurt When Boston Porch Under Construction Collapses
BOSTON (CBS) -- One construction worker died and another was critically injured after falling from a porch under construction in Jamaica Plain Tuesday.
Emergency crews responded at 10:37 a.m. to a three-decker at 89 Forest Hills St., where workers were building rear porches. The workers were transported to local hospitals, firefighters said.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials and building inspectors were at the scene on Tuesday. Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald said the workers fell while building decks.
Bill McCarthy was injured in the collapse. "The porch just let go," McCarthy told WBZ-TV's Bill Shields. "The porch fell, I don't know why it just fell."
McCarthy fell from the top deck to the second floor deck below. His friend, Steve Lathrop, fell all the way to the ground and died.
"We were both kneeling down together and when it broke we both fell and I looked over the edge and I saw Steve lying on the ground," he said. "Steve was my best friend and I'm a mess about all this. I love the kid like a brother."
The decks on the first two floors were complete, but the one on the third was under construction with loose planks. The workers did have a building permit. Boston Police are also investigating the incident.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports:
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