Eight people were injured, two seriously, after a Yale University building collapsed while construction crews poured concrete on the second floor
- The collapse happened at about 12:30 p.m. at an apartment building on Lafayette Street in New Haven, when crews were pouring concrete.
- Part of the second floor fell on the first floor and in the basement at the construction site where 36 people were present
- The New Haven Fire Department responded immediately to the building collapse, finding some with broken bones, while three others were buried under the rubble
A Yale University building under construction in New Haven, Connecticut, partially collapsed Friday, injuring eight people, two of them in critical condition.
The collapse happened at about 12:30 p.m. at an apartment building on Lafayette Street, when crews were pouring concrete.
Part of the second floor fell on the first floor and in the basement on the construction site where 36 people were working.
Eight construction workers were injured, six of them were pulled from the building by first responders, and the other two were able to escape on their own.
The New Haven Fire Department responded immediately to the building’s collapse, finding some with broken bones, while three others were buried under the rubble.
Hospital workers said none of the injuries are life-threatening.
A building under construction in New Haven, Connecticut, partially collapsed Friday, injuring eight people and leaving two of them in a critical condition.
The New Haven Fire Department responded immediately to the building collapse, finding some with broken bones, while three others were buried under the rubble
Firefighters managed to save all the injured and all others on the site, which is being converted into a seven-story residential building, were recovered.
And the first responders had to be quick to save the victims because the concrete was drying.
“Our units responded immediately within minutes and found several individuals with varying degrees of injury, from broken bones to three partially buried under the rubble,” said Fire Chief John Alston Jr.
Workers at the site told first responders that the concrete was pouring faster than they could spread it, and that it collected too much in one area and caused the collapse.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said, “They were pouring concrete on this building and while they were pouring concrete part of the second floor collapsed into the first floor and then into the basement .’
He confirmed that the property is owned by Yale University and is being developed into a seven-story residential building by RMS Companies, based in Stamford, Connecticut.
The company bills itself on its website as a builder of “luxury, contemporary apartments and luxury boutique hotels.” An RMS employee said the company is not commenting on the incident at this time.
The building is currently two storeys high, with two underground parking levels.
“There will be a major investigation, as with any construction situation like this,” the mayor said.
The collapse occurred in an apartment building on Lafayette Street around 12:30 a.m. as crews were pouring concrete and the second floor collapsed into the first floor and basement.
Investigators from the Occupational Health and Safety Service were on site.
City officials issued a halt to work at the site until it is safe and asked residents to stay away from the crime scene.
Lafayette Street is a short distance from Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale School of Medicine and is home to several medical offices.
Fire Chief Alston said emergency services had spent the past few days preparing for building collapse following the partial collapse of an apartment building in Davenport, Iowa, on Sunday that left three people missing and feared dead.
“They did an outstanding job in harrowing conditions,” he said of New Haven’s first responders.
“I’m very proud of that, given what happened recently in Iowa. We’ve talked about collapses in our area, so they responded admirably.”