BRIDGEPORT, Conn — A construction worker is recovering after he was trapped inside a building in Bridgeport as it partially collapsed twice Monday morning.
“As serious and somber as this whole thing is, it’s at this point, a very happy ending to what could have been a very terrible tragedy,” Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim said.
Bridgeport fire officials said the first call came in just after 9 a.m., when a fellow worker reported a 35-year-old crew member was trapped inside a building they were rehabilitating on Stratford Avenue.
“His lower extremities up to his knees were buried in debris from the foundation,” said Chief Lance Edwards with the Bridgeport Fire Department.
A secondary collapse occurred as firefighters were inside the building, working on shoring it up and digging the man out with their bare hands.
“As we began extrication, we got a lot of struts in place to hold back the foundation and ensure the safety of the patient and ourselves of course,” said Lt. Gregory Prior, a safety officer with the Bridgeport Fire Dept.
Prior was in the basement with more than a dozen others as they worked against the clock. He said the man was standing straight up while stuck under the debris. At one point, medical professionals saw him and provided sips of water as he waited to be released from the rubble.
“Everyone came together. We developed a plan, we implemented it. When things changed, we adapted the plan, and I think the men and women of the Bridgeport Fire Department couldn’t have done a better job,” Prior said.
After three hours of hard work, firefighters pulled the man to safety as he made his way out of the building on a stretcher. He was transported to a local hospital with injuries that were considered to be non-life threatening.
“Thank God. And thank God for first responders, the Bridgeport Fire Department who were not afraid and went into a collapsing foundation of a six-family building without knowing whether there would be a third or maybe fourth or more devastating collapse of the stone foundation,” Ganim said.
Ganim mentioned that there were permits that had been granted for the building, which was being worked on after burning down about five years ago.
As officials work to figure out what exactly went wrong, Ganim and others are praising the actions of first responders.
“We all understand there are inherent dangers that come along with not just being a firefighter, but a police officer as well. But the men and women, they raise their right hand, and they answered the call today,” Edwards said.
“You take that oath in the beginning, and you develop the right mindset and every day you come to work, you just do it. So, whatever comes over that radio, we’re going to be there,” Prior said.
There are now multiple agencies looking into what happened, including OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, city building officials and the fire marshal’s office. Until they get answers, they said no more work will be happening at the building.
“It’s probably going to be quite some time before we get to the bottom of exactly what happened and before the building official allows anything else to take place here in this building,” Edwards said.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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