One construction worker died and another was injured Friday afternoon when some scaffolding collapsed on the sixth floor of the Sherman Plaza Parking Garage site, officials said.
The Evanston Fire Department received a call shortly before 2:30 p.m. that a structure collapsed on the southwest corner of the garage at the intersection of Davis Street and Benson Avenue, Evanston Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky said. The Fire Department, the Evanston Police Department and officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Association responded to the call, where they found two men crushed after the sixth-floor scaffolding collapsed on top of them.
The EPD has taken over the investigation into the cause of the collapse. The fire department’s Berkowsky said he does not think there have been any major safety issues on this site before the incident.
The Sherman Plaza Parking Garage site is located in the First Ward, Ald. Cheryl Wollin’s district. She expressed hopes of resuming construction promptly and said she did not think the incident will slow down construction.
“I hope they can work relatively quick but still secure in the investigation,” Wollin said.
The Sherman Plaza project is under the supervision of developer Jim Klutznick. W.E. O’Neil Construction Co. handles the construction tasks of the project. Neither could be reached for comment over the weekend. The City of Evanston also is a partner in the project, and Assistant City Manager Judith Aiello was at the scene of the accident Friday but could not be reached for comment.
Construction workers were already removing debris with their own cranes when officials arrived. These cranes were then used to lower the two construction workers to the street.
Paramedics began clearing airways and treating individuals even before the 15 to 20 minute rescue was completed. Both individuals were then taken to St. Francis Hospital, 355 Ridge Ave.
“Upon (our) arrival, one individual was in critical condition and the other was in good condition,” Berkowsky said.
One worker died after arriving at the hospital. The other was injured but not critically. Evanston police had not released the names of the workers on Sunday afternoon.
Evanston firefighters were doing a training session at Station No. 1, 1332 Emerson St., Friday afternoon, less than a mile away. This allowed firefighters to arrive at the scene within minutes of the incident, Berkowsky said.
“The timing is hit or miss sometimes,” Berkowsky said. “But at the time this happened, we were right there.”
“Obviously it’s a tragedy,” Ald. Wollin said. “The site will not open until it has been inspected and declared safe.”
But construction activity was visible before police tape even had been removed from the construction site Friday afternoon.
The collapse diverted Benson Avenue bus traffic and congested traffic in the Evanston downtown area for at least two and a half hours after the accident.
Evanston resident Byron Samuel said he noticed the traffic congestion around the Sherman Plaza area and assumed they were just moving in more supplies until a friend asked if he had heard about the collapse.
“I feel really bad for other construction workers,” Samuel said. “They’re all probably thinking, ‘It could have been me.'”
Reach Laura Olson at [email protected].
