One Dies, One Injured in Pennsylvania Structure Collapse

One person died and another was seriously injured during work to dismantle equipment at a closed power plant Thursday afternoon in east central Pennsylvania.

At about 1 p.m., firefighters with the McAdoo Fire Department were summoned to the Northeast Power Plant in Kline Township after a conveyor belt structure collapsed, turning over an extended hydraulic crane lifting a railed platform in the process.  The crane, commonly referred to as a cherry picker, was extended to a height of 80 feet the time of the collapse.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene. The injured survivor was treated and transported by medical helicopter to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest Campus in critical condition, the Times News Online reports.

None of the other four workers on scene were injured. All six were part of the same crew dispatched from Tennessee to dismantle equipment.

McAdoo Fire Chief Bob Leshko told the Times News that the remaining structure supporting the conveyor belt was unstable and dangerous to work near.

Luminant, the company that owns the plant, released a statement saying that federal workplace safety health agencies had been contacted and that an investigation is underway.

The closed plant used waste coal as fuel. Operations were discontinued in 2018.