Johnston Fire Crews Respond to Stairway Collapse at Cornerstone Commons Construction Site, Non-Life Threatening Injuries Reported

Two construction workers were taken to the hospital after a temporary stairway collapsed at a construcation site in Johnston Friday morning.

Johnston fire crews responded to the call of a partial building collapse at the currently under construction along Merle Hay Road.

"It turned out not to be anywhere near as serious as originally dispatched," Johnston Fire Chief Jim Krohse said of the call that came in at 9:55 a.m. "A dispatch to a partial collapse to a construction site causes you to envision a whole bunch of different things."

When crews arrived they found that a temporary staircase from the first floor to the basement had given way under the weight of two construction workers, Krohse said.

When the collapse occurred the men dropped about 10 feet and landed on the stairs below.

"We don't believe either has what would be considered life-threatening injuries," Krohse said. "Both were transported to the hospital."

Krohse said the extraction of the men was complicated because the only stairway to the basement was no longer usable.

"They weren't under debris, but because this was a staircase to the basement, we couldn't get in the front," he said. "We entered through what is going to be a garage for vehicles but it's all dirt right now."

Construction on Northwest 63rd Street also complicated the process, as crews would have parked there.

The building is quite far along in construction. Owners of Cornerstone Commons previously announced an early 2013 opening.