1 Worker Dead and Another Critically Injured After Stairwell Collapses Inside Mass. Parking Garage

Cambridge Police said the workers were performing "restoration work" when the incident happened

stairwell death
The scene of the parking garage stairwell collapse. Photo: Cambridge Fire Dept/ Twitter

One person is dead and another has been critically injured after officials say a stairwell inside a Massachusetts parking garage collapsed.

The Cambridge Fire Department confirmed the fatal incident in a post on Twitter Wednesday, explaining that it occurred at a parking garage on 1st St in East Cambridge.

Fire officials said they responded to the scene just after 8:20 a.m. regarding a report about a "stairwell collapse" and found two construction workers who were "seriously injured."

In a post on their Twitter account, the Cambridge Police Department said the two workers were "conducting restoration work" at the time of the stairwell collapse.

stairwell death
The scene of the parking garage stairwell collapse. Cambridge Fire Dept/ Twitter

Though Cambridge Fire and Police officials, along with ProEMS, arrived at the scene, it was sadly too late for one worker, who was later confirmed dead from his injuries.

The 56-year-old male's cause of death is now being determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, according to a press release from the city of Cambridge. His identity has not been released.

The other worker, a 41-year-old male, sustained critical injuries and was transported to a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition, the press release stated.

Cambridge's Fire Chief, Gerard Mahoney, told Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui that the surviving worker suffered "significant chest and arm injuries," according to a tweet from Siddiqui.

At this time, it is also unclear how the stairwell managed to collapse, but officials said they are currently investigating.

stairwell death
First responders at the scene of the parking garage stairwell collapse. Cambridge Fire Dept/ Twitter

Following the incident, Mayor Siddiqui issued a statement on Twitter and said she was "deeply saddened by this news."

"My thoughts are with the loved ones of the individual who died today," she wrote. "An open investigation is being conducted by the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, @CambridgeMAFire, @CambridgePolice & OSHA."

Tragically, this is the second incident in a week where construction workers have died on the job in the area, according to the independent Boston station WHDH.

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Last Wednesday, two workers — identified by the outlet as Carlos Gutierrez, 32, and Jordan Romero, 27 — were struck by a dump truck at a construction site in Boston.

A witness reportedly claimed that the dump truck backed into Gutierrez and Romero before knocking them into a trench. The men were pronounced dead at the scene, according to WHDH.

Due to the back-to-back deaths, WHDH reported that the Boston City Council planned to discuss construction safety during a virtual meeting on Wednesday.

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