Crews recovered the bodies of two union ironworkers about five days after the parking garage they were building at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia partially collapsed on April 8. Search and rescue workers initially pulled one worker from the rubble before he died at a local hospital from his injuries.
The identities of the workers were not initially released, but were identified by the city’s ironworkers union, Local 401, as members Stepan Shevchuk, who was the first to be found, and Matthew Kane and Mark Scott Jr., who were discovered early on April 13.
“We have lost three beloved and respected members of our 401 family and look forward to bringing our brothers home,” the union wrote in a Facebook post. “This process has been slow and painstaking, but necessary because of the state of the structure and the possibility of further collapse.”
The 32.27 million dollars The project was part of the hospital’s construction effort in South Philadelphia.
“Our hearts and prayers are with their families and loved ones during this unimaginable time,” the Iron Workers union also wrote in a statement.
The day after Shevchuk was pulled from the rubble, search and rescue teams determined that two other workers had also died and adapted their mission to a recovery operation.
Philadelphia Fire Marshal Jeffery Thompson told reporters that the bodies were recovered on a ladder as crews carried out a controlled demolition of the collapsed garage. He also said the rest of the garage was demolished to ensure the site was safe during the recovery.
A failure during the installation of the garage’s precast concrete floors, roofs and roof segments led to a progressive collapse on all seven levels, city Mayor Cherelle Parker said. He told reporters that a medical examiner will determine the cause of death and also issued an executive order for an “independent” investigation into the collapse. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating.
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