Arlington, Va. – A fresh slab of wet concrete collapsed on the 24th floor of a high-rise construction site today, injuring 16 workers, including two who had to be extricated from the concrete by a rescue team, officials said.
Three workers, including the two who had been trapped, were in critical condition and four were in serious condition, said Tom Polera, a spokesman for the Arlington County Fire Department. Nine others had minor injuries.
The concrete came down from the office tower’s roof after the scaffolding holding it up gave way, Polera said. He said the exact cause of the accident was under investigation, but that all workers at the construction site had been accounted for.
Oscar Moscoso, a worker at the site across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., told reporters he pulled out six people with his hands and shovels after the collapse.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and county officials were investigating.
The 300-foot building in Arlington’s Rosslyn section is part of a development called Waterview, which also includes a hotel and residential tower, said Brian Coulter, a spokesman for JBG Companies, the project developer.
