2 dead, 1 trapped in Fla. parking garage collapse

 
No Author Published: October 10, 2012    Comment on this article Leave a comment

photo -   Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue workers view the West Campus parking lot of the Miami-Dade College in Doral, Fla., on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012. A section of the parking garage under construction collapsed Wednesday, trapping some workers and shaking the buildings around it. (AP Photo/El Nuevo Herald, Hector Gabino) MAGS OUT
Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue workers view the West Campus parking lot of the Miami-Dade College in Doral, Fla., on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012. A section of the parking garage under construction collapsed Wednesday, trapping some workers and shaking the buildings around it. (AP Photo/El Nuevo Herald, Hector Gabino) MAGS OUT

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"It fell to the ground like a house of cards," Buczynski said. "The construction workers started running out, screaming. It was loud. Our entire building shook."

No students were in the area at the time. The campus was evacuated and closed for the rest of the week. Investigators planned to pick through the rubble to see what caused the garage to crumble.

"We just know that the roof collapsed," Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Griselle Marino said.

William P. Byrne, president and chief executive officer of the garage contractor, Ajax Building Corp., said an internal review was being launched to determine the cause. Byrne said the company would embrace "any additional protocols, policies and procedures that will enhance and ensure the continued priority of safety."

Marino said three people were initially trapped in the rubble, including the man who died. Seven of the injured went to the hospital and an eighth was treated at the scene.

One of the rescued workers was pulled out from under a steal beam by four firefighters. His face and hands were bloody and he was put on a stretcher and carried away, according to a video shot by Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue and provided to The Associated Press.

Ground was broken on the $22.5 million project in February, and the 1,855-space garage was to be finished in December, according to Ajax's website.

The first floor was to have classroom and office space. The structure is next to the college's main office building and nestled among other campus buildings.

The college serves about 8,000 students and is one of several campuses in the Miami-Dade College system. This campus opened in 2006.

The identity of the worker who died was not immediately released.

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Associated Press writers Curt Anderson and Freida Frisaro contributed to this report.

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