A construction worker was killed when a parking garage in downtown Boston partially collapsed as it was being demolished. Reports state that the Government Center parking garage, located on Congress Street, suffered a partial collapse when part of the concrete slab on the ninth floor collapsed onto the floor beneath it around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The construction worker who was killed was on the ninth floor in a bobcat-style construction vehicle, which fell over the side of the structure during the partial collapse.
Boston Fire Commissioner Jack Dempsey said firefighters found the man dead at the bottom of the building beneath a pile of debris. Local police said that one other person who was passing by the building as it collapsed and was taken to a local hospital, though reportedly did not suffer any injuries. The construction site has been temporarily closed and workers were evacuated.
The demolition is part of a $1.5 billion project to turn the parking garage into a six-building mixed-use complex called Bullfinch Crossing, including an office skyscraper and two mid-rise residential towers. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu shared that the city would aid in helping to find out how the collapse happened, saying that “construction workers’ families should never have to worry about whether they’re going home at night and returning.”
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