Being Client-focused (Construction Industry) Fatality Report

Contractor killed on NC State campus construction site after equipment collapses

A construction worker died on N.C. State University’s campus after a lift collapsed in wet ground, the state Department of Labor reported Tuesday.

The lift carrying the worker on Saturday was extended about 35 feet in the air when the dirt caved in around one of its tires, said Natalie Bouchard, DOL spokeswoman.

DPR Construction identified the subcontractor as Tiburcio Mendoza.

Campus police were called to the scene but are not investigating the incident and do not have a report, university spokesman Mick Kulikowski said. He added he believed the worker died of injuries at WakeMed.

The accident happened at the site of N.C. State’s new Plant Sciences building, a 185,000-square-foot project.

Ro Norman of DPR Construction said the worker was a subcontractor and the team is “deeply saddened.”

“Our focus continues to be the safety of all employees, workers and visitors on our job sites,” Norman said in an email. “The investigation of this incident is ongoing, and DPR is fully committed to working closely with investigators to help determine the details surrounding this incident. At this time, our thoughts are with this individual’s family and friends.”