Published: November 19, 2008 12:17 am            

Collapse probe ongoing

Officials with Yates Construction Company said Tuesday it may take a week or more to determine exactly what caused a structural collapse Monday morning that injured seven workers.

One person was pinned under the debris when at about 10 a.m. a portion of the Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center Medical Towers project being built at 16th Street and 22nd Avenue fell in while workers were pouring concrete onto the second level. Five of those workers were members of a concrete finishing subcontractor while two others were Yates employees.

Kenny Bush, a spokesman for Yates Construction Company, said the investigation into the incident may take a week or more to complete. It was therefore unclear when construction would resume.

"We have engineers and other construction site investigators going over the area now," said Bush Tuesday afternoon. "This will be an ongoing process. We want to be thorough."

Two people were taken to Meridian hospitals for treatment while the other five were treated at the site. Bush said one worker is still in a local hospital.

"No one suffered any life-threatening injuries and the person in the hospital now is just there under observation," said Bush.

Bush said officials with Yates Construction Company were impressed with the professionalism of the responders and emergency personnel who worked for approximately an hour to free one of the men trapped by debris.

"The work by the hospital employees, police, firefighters and Homeland Security personnel was first rate," said Bush. "They did an excellent job."

        

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