2 workers hurt in scaffold collapse in Center City Philadelphia
CENTER CITY (WPVI) -- There were heart-stopping moments in Old City when scaffolding collapsed along the side of a building, sending two workers to the hospital with minor injuries.
The collapse was reported at 9:22 a.m. Thursday at a building in the 400 block of Walnut Street.
The scaffold was hanging off the side of the building and suspended 25-30 feet above an adjacent roof when the incident occurred.
"The scaffolding almost looked like it was in a V at that point, and one man was hanging on the side of the roof in a white shirt and the other man was dangling from his harness," said Caitlyn McCracken.
McCraken and her co-worker, Ashley Basehore, were at work next door at the time and couldn't believe their eyes when they looked out of their office window.
Their boss called 911 and Caitlyn recorded video on her cell phone. They say other co-workers looked on in horror in disbelief.
"Oh my God, we were like freaking out. Like, 'Oh my God, oh my God,' because the guy was like - everyone was just hoping, because at that point nobody was there to help them. So, they were literally in survival mode," said Baeshore.
The two workers on the scaffolding didn't have life threatening injuries, and were treated at the hospital.
The collapse happened at what has been described as a residential building. Action News has learned the men were repairing the side wall when some of the bricks came loose and fell onto the scaffolding, causing it to fall.
"The guy who had the bright yellow vest on was helping the guy in the white shirt, and I am just like, oh my god if he'd let go or anything happened he could have fallen off and it was just very scary. But the minute he was pulled over by his friend, it was like, 'Whew, okay,'" said Baeshore.
An initial investigation reveals a line supporting part of the scaffold also snapped under the weight of the bricks.
The Department of Licenses and Inspections says proper netting was in place and prevented any debris from falling to the ground and potentially injuring anyone walking below.
An investigation into the incident continues.
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