Construction worker killed in partial collapse of Boston parking garage
A construction worker was killed while working on the demolition of the Government Center Parking Garage in Boston on Saturday, officials said. The worker suffered a "substantial fall" when part of the parking garage collapsed, Boston Fire Commissioner Jack Dempsey said Saturday night.
The worker was identified as 51-year-old Peter Monsini, CBS Boston reports. Monsini was working to prepare the parking garage for demolition. The cause of the collapse and the fall have not yet been determined, officials said Saturday night. Monsini was operating a piece of machinery prior to the collapse, which one official on Saturday night referred to as a crane.
Boston Police Captain Kelley McCormick said Saturday night that Monsini fell "approximately eight to nine stories." McCormick clarified that the crane that was believed to have fallen was a "smaller" worker crane and not one of the large yellow cranes that could still be seen standing Saturday night.
Dempsey said Saturday that he believes the rest of the building is stable, but he was waiting for a structural engineer to make an assessment.
"Any building being demolished is a dangerous scene," Dempsey said. "Probably more dangerous than when they're putting them up."
The area around the parking garage has been shut down, including the underground train station and the nearby on and off ramps to Interstate 93. McCormick said the area will most likely remain closed to traffic for several hours, causing a "serious traffic disruption." Several streets in the area will remain closed through Sunday night.
McCormick said structural engineers were also working to determine if the collapse caused any structural damage to the underground train line.
A passerby who witnessed the collapse was also taken to the hospital, although they appeared to be uninjured, an EMS officials said.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu called the incident a "horrible tragedy," adding that the city will do "whatever it takes so that we understand what happened here."