1 Worker Killed, 2 Hospitalized in Fort Lauderdale Construction Site Accident

One worker was killed and two others were hospitalized following an accident at a construction site in Fort Lauderdale Monday morning.

The incident happened around 7:45 a.m. at the site at 2601 South Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue officials said.

Two of the workers were rushed to nearby Broward Health Medical Center in critical condition, officials said. Once at the hospital, one of the workers died, officials said.

The third patient was also hospitalized but with minor injuries. The identities of the workers are being withheld until their families are notified.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Timothy Heiser said there was some type of collapse at the site. Fort Lauderdale Police spokesman Cap. Frank Sousa said a beam fell at the site.

Fort Lauderdale Police and OSHA are investigating the accident, Heiser said.

Mark Straley said he was working on the second floor of the structure when the incident happened.

"I heard it and everybody started running towards the ladder and that's when I took off towards the ladder too," Straley said.

Straley said he saw one man on the ground who wasn't moving and saw another man receiving CPR.

"When something like that happens on a job like this, if some of the braces could have gave way, the walls could have started coming down," Straley said. "It's pretty scary, you never know what's gonna happen."

The site is a new BMW service center scheduled to open in 2015. A spokesperson for the company working at the site, Miller Construction, said they are still trying to determine what happened.

Check back with NBC 6 South Florida and NBC6.com for updates.

Contact Us