Part of parking deck falls in Durham

DeJuan Hoggard Image
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Construction incident
An accident at a Durham parking deck under construction left workers lucky to be unharmed.

DURHAM (WTVD) -- Shiel Sexton construction workers are uninjured after a large panel of an under-construction parking garage fell nearly six stories to the ground.

Eyewitnesses said a crane operator was assisting in lifting the concrete panel when the accident happened on a property that used to be the old Hendrick motors on 504 E Pettigrew Street near the Durham Freeway.

The edge of the building was left hanging by the steel rebar

Pictures from the scene showed chunks of concrete lying on the ground at the base of the building.

A representative onsite with Shiel Sexton, who declined to be identified, told ABC11 the incident would be investigated with help from OSHA and they would know more next week.

The corporate offices of Shiel Sexton, located in Indianapolis, were not immediately aware of the incident when contacted by ABC11 on Thursday.

What remained of a wall was left hanging by the steel rebar rods several floors up.

The parking deck is being built as part of the $39-million dollar Gateway Center luxury apartment complex, which is scheduled to be open next year.

It is not currently known how much damages will cost or how long repairs will take.

Related story: Man rescued from crane in Chapel Hill

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