Construction worker rescued in Brooklyn
WINGATE, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Rescue crews pulled a man to safety after a collapse at a construction site in Brooklyn Tuesday.
The incident happened on the 400 block of Rutland Road in the Wingate section just after 12:30 p.m., when the FDNY says a vacant 100-year-old building under deconstruction partially collapsed. A man described as a "non-worker civilian" was trapped under the debris, buried to his waist under the basement.
Authorities say he was scavenging for building materials when the first floor collapsed underneath him. He was trapped in the rubble, under a beam about ten feet below the surface for nearly an hour and a half.
Officials said he was conscious when rescued.
Paramedics said he is listed in critical but stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.
The building was reportedly purchased by a neighboring church in 2011. It was the site of a 2006 fire and has been boarded up ever since.
The Department of Buildings has issued three enforcement actions, including violations for work without permit for removal of sections of building, failure to maintain building in code compliant manner and failure to safeguard workers and property.
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