North Austin Worker Injured In Roof Collapse At The Domain

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — Medics on Tuesday responded to a report of a roof collapse at The Domain — a mixed-use development featuring a popular mall, offices and luxury apartments — that caused a man to fall from a height of 20 feet.

Austin-Travis County EMS medics and Austin Fire Department officials responded to 10727 Domain Dr. at around 11:20 a.m. in responding to the emergency call, both agencies tweeting some details about the nature of the emergency. Each said a man in his 20s fell through the roof of a structure onto the floor 20 feet below amid the structure collapse at the popular mixed=use site.

Some two hours after the incident, Austin fire officials provided more definitive details. The site of the roof collapse is at a building at the real estate development that is currently under construction, officials said. A small portion of the 6th floor of the building — the top of the structure abutting the roof — fell onto the floor below, injuring a worker.

Fire officials said they utilized a ladder truck to retrieve the worker and bring him to the ground in readying him for hospital transport. EMS rushed the injured worker to Dell Seton Medical Center with potentially serious injuries nonetheless not deemed to be life-threatening. EMS has since cleared the scene. No other injuries were reported.

No further details are available, chiefly what may have caused the collapse and its exact location within the mall.

José P. Garza, executive director of Austin-based Workers Defense Project, issued a statement related to the incident late Tuesday, saying the incident highlights the dangerous working conditions in cities like Austin that are experiencing brisk growth.

“Too many Texas construction workers face dangerous working conditions building our cities," Garza said. "Work sites in Texas should be safer. We all have have a responsibility to ensure that the men and women who build our cities return home to their families after a long day of hard work. Our prayers are with the workers and his family as they recover from this preventable accident.”

The Domain is a high-density office, retail, and residential center owned and operated Endeavor Real Estate Group, TIER REIT Inc. (a real estate investment trust) and Simon Property Group. The development is located along the high-tech corridor in Northwest Austin, bordered on the west by Union Pacific Railroad, on the west and north by MoPac Expressway (Loop 1), on the south by Braker Lane and on the east by Burnet Road.

The initial phase of construction for the project was completed in March 2007.

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