Parking deck collapses: Mall parking garage traps two, kills one
Parking deck collapses: A parking garage outside a Macy's at a Maryland mall partially collapsed today. Officials say a construction worker died in the collapse.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Scott Graham speaks with the media in the parking lot of Montgomery Mall, in Bethesda , Md., Thursday. Officials say a 50,000-pound section of the parking deck apparently collapsed outside a Macy's store.
Jose Luis Magana / AP
BETHESDA, Md.
A parking deck partially collapsed Thursday outside a shopping mall in suburban Maryland, and officials said one construction worker died after being trapped under a concrete slab.
Montgomery County rescuers worked to stabilize the structure for more than four hours to free a second worker. Officials said it appears a 50,000-pound section of the parking deck collapsed outside a Macy's department store.
One man died of his injuries, and the other was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, said fire department spokeswoman Beth Anne Nesselt. The second worker, who was freed about 6 p.m., appeared to be alert and conscious when he was rescued.
Rescuers confirmed there were no other people inside the structure, said Assistant Fire Chief Scott Graham.
The parking deck was under construction during the collapse and was not open to the public. The mall is in the midst of a major redevelopment project that will place a 16-screen movie theater on top of the parking garage.
Aerial video from the scene after the partial collapse showed a large concrete slab that appeared to have fallen out of place.