BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — Investigators say an equipment malfunction is to blame for a construction site accident that injured a worker in Battle Creek.
It happened shortly before 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at paper distributor WestRock, located at 177 Angell Street.
The first firefighters on the scene found a 64-year-old man pinned underneath a 24-foot beam. Authorities say the beam was part of a system to move equipment around. That system failed Wednesday, causing to beam to fall about 10 feet, hitting the construction worker in the head and pinning him down, according to the fire department.
Someone used a forklift to raise the beam and free the worker. He was conscious and alert before he was taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo with head and back injuries.