A section of concrete floor on the building’s second level collapsed, officials said.
HOLLAND, MI — Holland police have identified Ruben Gomez-Vazques, 38, of Grand Rapids, as the worker who died Tuesday after a floor collapsed at the Holland Civic Center construction site.
Gomez-Vazques and a co-worker were demolishing a small section of cement floor on the second level of the east side of the building Tuesday, Aug. 1, officials said.
Part of the floor collapsed, causing Gomez-Vazques and his co-worker to fall, officials said.
Gomez-Vazques was trapped for about 15 minutes until firefighters extracted him from the debris, officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
His co-worker, Rafael Hernandez-Alvarez, 41, of Grand Rapids, was seriously injured in the fall, police said. Hernandez-Alvarez was treated at Holland Community Hospital and has since been released.
The accident happened about 3: 10 p.m Tuesday, Aug. 1, at the Civic Center at 150 E. Eighth St. in Holland.
One worker dead, another injured in construction collapse at Holland Civic Center
Gomez-Vazques and Hernandez-Alvarez worked for X-Treme Demolition Inc., a Grand Rapids subcontractor of GO Construction working for the city of Holland on the renovation of the Civic Center.
The job site has been secured and work has been halted, according to a statement from GO Construction.
« We are devastated about what happened. We would like to express our deepest sympathies and keep everyone involved in our prayers, » GO Construction said in a statement Wednesday. « We remain grateful to the first responders for their efforts and for the support received from the City of Holland’s public safety officials. »
The Holland Department of Public Safety is investigating the incident as a fatal workplace accident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has also been called in to investigate, as is standard protocol.
