74-foot Steel Beam Falls, Injuring Worker at Sartell Church Site
FILE
Authorities are investigating a workplace incident that left a Willmar man injured when a steel beam fell on him during construction work at a church near Sartell.
The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says they responded to the Waters Church at around 11 a.m. on Friday after getting a report of a man trapped beneath a large steel beam.
Deputies and Sartell officers found 32-year-old Jesus Adrian Garza with his legs pinned under a 74-foot, 10,000-pound structural beam.
Garza was part of a crew working to remove the beam from the building when it became unstable and fell. Authorities say Garza had been using a skyjack scissor lift to assist with the project, adjusting the cribbing that was supporting the beam as it was being lowered. The beam reportedly shifted and fell onto his legs, trapping him on top of the lift.
Sartell Fire and Rescue, along with the construction crew, were able to free Garza from the beam. He was transported by Mayo Ambulance to St. Cloud Hospital for treatment.
The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, Sartell Police Department, Sartell Fire Department and Mayo Ambulance all responded to the scene.
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