S.A. HABEDANK CONSTRUCTION CO.

Employee dies after stumbling to floor

Employee #1 was working as a laborer for a contractor who was tearing down a rot ted wooden building and rebuilding it. The workers were getting ready to take th eir coffee break when a piece of a rotted wood rafter started to break loose. On e worker saw it and yelled a warning. The workers scattered in different directi ons. The 2 in. by 2 in. by 6 ft long piece of wood fell, hit the scaffolding, an d fell to the floor. After it hit the floor, the piece of wood may have fallen o ver and struck Employee #1 on the back (no marks were found). Employee #1 stumbl ed and fell face first to the concrete floor; he was rendered unconscious for a few minutes. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where doctors discov ered a skull fracture. Employee #1 was then transported to St. Luke's Hospital i n Fargo, ND, where he was held for examination and observation. Employee #1 was stable until evening, when he slipped into a coma. He was pronounced brain dead at about 12:00 noon the following day. Employee #1 was then removed from life su pport and died at about 2:00 p.m. on July 21, 1988.