Part of High-Rise Under Construction Collapses in Rosslyn

ROSSLYN, Va. - Two construction workers were rescued after being trapped when a slab of wet concrete collapsed at a high-rise building under construction in Rosslyn Friday.

Workers were pouring cement to construct the roof on the 24th floor when a 60-foot by 30-foot slab fell after the scaffolding holding it gave way, Arlington Fire Cpt. Tom Polera says.

When the slab fell, it caved in a 25-foot by 25-foot section of the floor, causing the building to partially collapse, Arlington County Technical Rescue Team Cpt. George Williams says.

The building is located at the corner of North Lynn Street and 19th Street - near the Key Bridge.

Police say 17 workers were injured. Three workers are in critical condition - including two who were trapped. Four are in serious condition. One firefighter was taken to the hospital with a minor back injury.

The last worker was extricated from the building around 10:45 a.m., officials say. Rescue officials received news of the collapse at around 8:30 a.m.

Emergency responders, including a "go-team" with surgeons from George Washington University Hospital, arrived at the scene and treated workers on the 24th floor.

When rescuers arrived on the scene, the concrete was still relatively pliable because it had been poured around 8:30 a.m., Williams says.

The technical team used wood and air bags to secure the structure while they rescued workers trapped under concrete at least a foot deep in some areas, Williams says.

Workers had to be carried down several flights of stairs on stretchers because the elevator did not go all the way to the 24th floor, Williams says.

The injured people were taken to three area hospitals: GWU Hospital, Virginia Hospital Center-Arlington, and Fairfax Hospital. The injured firefighter was taken to INOVA Alexandria.

There were 200 workers in the building at the time. All of them have been accounted for, Polera says.

Oscar Moscoso, a worker on the roof at the time, says he pulled out six people with his hands and shovels when the structure collapsed, spilling wet cement on him and others.

Firefighters pulled construction workers out of the wet cement.

The 300-foot building 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.

Building contractor Clark Construction was set to hold a "topping-off party" to celebrate the successful completion of the pouring of concrete later Friday, company president Brian Apt says.

The cause of the accident is under investigation. Occupational Safety and Health Administration representatives and county officials are on the scene.

An initial review by state inspectors did not show any major safety violations at the work site, says Jennifer Wester, director of cooperative programs for the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry's workplace safety division.

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