construction accident

NEW: Man rescued after being buried up to shoulders in trench collapse

By ARLnow.com
File photo

(Updated at 6:25 p.m.) A worker buried up to his shoulders in dirt after a trench collapse has been rescued by firefighters.

It happened around 3:30 p.m. on the 1300 block of S. Buchanan Street, a couple of blocks from Wakefield High School. Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County firefighters were dispatched to the scene for a report of a construction worker buried after a trench dug around a house collapsed.

It took a large contingent of firefighters about 75 minutes to finally free the worker, following an extended technical rescue operation. The worker was taken to a local trauma center but is expected to be okay.

Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Justin Tirelli said the worker was doing foundation work at the time.

“At approximately 3:30pm, Arlington County Fire Department was alerted to a contractor who was trapped in a trench that collapsed,” Tirelli told ARLnow. “The contractor was doing foundation work at a single family residence when the soil around him caved in and covered his body up to his shoulders. ACFD Technical Rescue Team was immediately dispatched and called for assistance from the Alexandria Technical Rescue Team and one unit from Fairfax County’s Technical team.”

He continued: “Upon arrival, ACFD crews assessed that the worker’s breathing was being hindered from the surrounding soil. Crews immediately cleared space around the workers chest which improved his breathing. Crews then methodically secured the trench and carefully removed the soil until they could remove him. This process took approximately 75 minutes and due to the length of the entrapment, additional medical procedures were performed to reduce the possibility of further injury.”

“The victim was transported with non-life threatening injuries to a local trauma center,” Tirelli added. “We do not have any updates on the current condition of the victim.”

BREAKING: Two construction workers hurt at Arlington elementary school

By ARLnow.com
1/6

(Updated at 11:30 a.m.) Two workers were hurt after a construction accident at an Arlington elementary school.

It happened around 10:30 a.m. at Key Elementary School, in the former Arlington Traditional School building at 855 N. Edison Street. Firefighters and police are on scene.

Initial reports suggest part of a wall collapsed and the workers were struck by falling cinder blocks. Both are being rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.

“It is related to the construction of the new kitchen,” APS spokesman Frank Bellavia said of the accident. “Two workers were injured… No students were near the site as it is only accessible by construction workers.”

Workplace safety officials are being requested to the scene to investigate the incident.

A portion of N. George Mason Drive in front of the school may be at least partially blocked by the emergency activity.

The principal of the school sent the following message to families this morning.

Dear Escuela Key Staff and Families,

I am writing to notify you about a construction accident which occurred in the area under renovation in the kitchen at Escuela Key this morning. No students were involved or near the site. The area where the construction is occurring is in the kitchen, which is sealed off and separate from students at all times. Two workers were injured and have been taken to the hospital for evaluation and treatment. I wanted you to be aware due to the increased police and fire department activity at the school this morning.

Thank you,

Marleny Perdomo
Principal

DEVELOPING: Worker Seriously Hurt in Power Line Accident

By ARLnow.com
1/3

(Updated at 1:45 p.m.) A man suffered injuries that are reported to be life-threatening after an on-the-job accident in the Old Glebe neighborhood.

Police and medics were dispatched to a large, under-construction home on the 4600 block of N. Dittmar Road around 1 p.m. Initial reports suggest a worker was carrying a ladder when it made contact with power lines, electrocuting him.

The man is being rushed to a local hospital by Arlington County Fire Department medics.

Police are now investigating the accident. A Dominion power crew is also being requested to the scene.

BREAKING: Worker Rescued from Rosslyn Construction Site

By ARLnow.com
1/10

An injured worker was rescued from the 27th floor of a high-rise construction project in Rosslyn this morning.

The fire department responded to The Highlands development site on Wilson Blvd, near N. Pierce Street, shortly after 11 a.m. for a report of a construction worker with a back injury.

Given that the worker was high above ground level, a technical rescue team worked to lower him via a Stokes basket attached to one of the construction project’s tower cranes. A crowd of workers watched from the street, some with phones in hand, as firefighters completed the delicate operation.

Wilson Blvd and N. Pierce Street were closed in the area during the rescue, but have since reopened.

The project, which is nearing completion, is building hundreds of condos and apartments, as well as retail space, in the northern part of the Rosslyn neighborhood, near the new H-B Woodlawn school building.

ACFD Responds to Fall Inside Under-Construction Home in Bluemont

By ARLnow.com

A man fell and was injured in a house that was reported to be undergoing renovations in the Bluemont neighborhood.

The incident happened around 1:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon, on the 5700 block of 5th Street N. Initial reports suggested a man fell through a hole in the floor and landed in the basement below, suffering both upper- and lower-body injuries in the process.

A large technical rescue response was dispatched to the home, though the situation did not ultimately require an extensive rescue operation. Medics transported the man via ambulance to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, the Arlington County Fire Department said in a subsequent tweet.

“Male victim fell approximately 10 ft to a hard surface suffering non-life threatening injuries,” ACFD said. “Fire/EMS carried him to a waiting ambulance and transported to the trauma center.”

File photo

JUST IN: Injured Worker Rescued from Ballston Home Construction Site

By ARLnow.com
1/7

Arlington County firefighters rescued a worker who fell and was injured at a home construction site in the Ballston area Monday afternoon.

The incident happened around 3 p.m. on the 1200 block of N. Taylor Street. Initial reports suggest a worker fell off a ladder and fell onto the home’s concrete foundation below ground, suffering a possible head injury.

Firefighters used a ladder truck and a Stokes basket to hoist the victim out from the construction site.

N. Taylor Street was closed to traffic from Washington Blvd to 13th Street N. due to the emergency activity.

Fire department spokesman Capt. Ben O’Bryant was unable to immediately confirm the nature of the injuries suffered by the victim, identified as an adult male construction worker, but said that he was being transported via ambulance to a local trauma center in “fair” condition.

Occupational safety investigators and the county fire marshal’s office were called to the scene, O’Bryant said.

Scaffolding Accident Closes Ballston Mall Front Entrance

By ARLnow.com
1/3

The front entrance to Ballston Quarter mall and its Quarter Market food hall is closed after a cable broke on a piece of scaffolding.

A large fire department response to the Wednesday afternoon incident temporarily blocked Wilson Blvd in front of the mall, but the road has since reopened.

Two workers who were on the equipment at the time of the accident were able to climb to safety with the help of firefighters. No injuries were reported.

Police have roped off the entrance until the scaffolding can be secured.

Worker Hurt at Market Common Clarendon

By ARLnow.com
1/5

A workplace accident sent one person to the hospital Tuesday morning.

The incident happened around 11 a.m. on the second level of the Market Common Clarendon shopping center.

Initial reports suggest that a worker fell 10-15 feet from a scaffolding, possibly suffering a broken leg. The injury was believed to be non-life threatening.

Photos by Melanie Pincus

BREAKING: Man Pinned Under Collapsed Wall

By ARLnow.com
1/19

(Updated 5:35 p.m.) A man was rescued by Arlington County firefighters after being pinned under a collapsed wall at a house on Old Dominion Drive this afternoon.

Crews responded around 2 p.m. Tuesday to a home on the 4700 block of Old Dominion Drive, where the man was pinned below his waist by a two-ton concrete slab. According to scanner traffic, he had been working on the wall when it gave way.

The man was conscious and being tended to by medics while a technical rescue team shored up the wall and removed the collapsed material. The man was extricated at approximately 2:55 p.m. and transported to the hospital.

Police closed Old Dominion Drive in both directions between Lee Highway and 23rd Street N. due to the emergency response. The road reopened shortly after 4 p.m.

According to scanner traffic, investigators from the police as well as the the state occupational safety agency will inspect the incident site.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Construction Accident in Rosslyn — An accident on the parking garage level of the construction site at the corner of Key Blvd and N. Nash Street in Rosslyn prompted a large fire department and police response this morning. A worker suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the accident, which occurred around 8 a.m., and needed to be carried via rescue basket to a waiting ambulance. The response closed lanes of Key Blvd and exacerbated traffic delays caused by construction nearby on Lee Highway.

Sex Assault Suspect May Have Tried Other Buildings — The suspect in a violent sexual assault in Rosslyn may have unsuccessfully tried to get into other Arlington apartment buildings before somehow entering The Atrium building, where the assault occurred, through the front entrance, NBC 4’s Jackie Bensen reports. The suspect then knocked on doors, claiming to be a maintenance worker, before the victim opened her door and a struggle and the sexual assault ensued. [NBC Washington]

Wakefield Senior Named Top Entrepreneur — “Wakefield High School senior Tasnim Alam was named one of the top six entrepreneurs in the country at the the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Saunders Scholarship Competition in Rochester, N.Y. Tasnim is the founder and CEO of Heatless Hotness, a business that sells heat-free hair curlers that are convenient to use and create salon-like results, which she launched while participating in the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s YEA! program.” [Arlington Chamber of Commerce]

When Do Pools Open in Arlington? — Patch has an answer to the question, “When Do Arlington Swimming Pools Open in 2017?” — and that answer is: Memorial Day weekend. More specifically: Saturday, May 27. Unless it’s an indoor pool, in which case it’s open year-round. [Patch]

Worker Falls at Crystal City Construction Site

By ARLnow.com
1/3

A worker fell 20-25 feet at a construction site in Crystal City this morning.

The incident happened around 10:30 a.m., reportedly at the m.flats construction site at 505 18th Street S.

The worker was transported to the trauma center at George Washington University Hospital with what were reported to be non-life-threatening injuries. State occupational safety officials are investigating the incident.

Construction is nearing completion at m.flats, which replaced a former Post Office.

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