A construction worker was trapped and killed when the last standing wall of a building under demolition collapsed on top of him.
The worker was taking down an old Blockbuster Video building in the Cherry Hill Shopping Center at 500 Route 38 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He was standing by the wall when it collapsed around 12:30 p.m. Friday.
The collapse knocked the worker into a trench, leaving him partially buried by debris. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A backhoe operator who was shook up and having chest pains, was hospitalized.
The site was being cleared to pave the way for a Super Wawa, according to Fire Director Patrick Kelly.
"I'd say 98.9 percent of it was down. This is the last piece that was there and unfortunately, something happened where the wall came down on a worker," Kelly said.
Kelly said the company in charge of the demolition had all the proper permits. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) identified that company as Mancuso Contractors, based in Maple Shade, New Jersey. Inspection reports show OSHA fined the company in 1999 and 2000 for worker safety violations related to excavations. Requests for comment from the company were not returned by the time of publication.
OSHA investigators were on the scene within hours of Friday's collapse, along with investigators from the Camden County Prosecutor's office.
The victim's identity is not being made public until his family has been notified.
The store is one of thousands across the country that closed after Blockbuster LLC filed for bankruptcy. This is an image of the building from 2008.
The shopping center's two anchor stores are Walmart and Toys-R-Us.
Photo Credit: NBC10.com