By Dan Verbeck
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-984004.mp3
Fort Leavenworth, KS. – The tallest reaches of an old prison wall at Fort Leavenworth collapsed today, sending tons of brick, mortar and fresh concrete onto a workman three stories below. The man survived. .
Post Engineer Bill Waugh says the worker was doing concrete finishing when the mass ripped off the side of the former cell block at the former U. S. Army Disciplinary Barracks. The man, who worked for a private contractor, was nearly buried.
Army medic, Private Jeremy Warren of Liberty Missouri was among the rescuers clawing at debris-- "We just started grabbing handfuls of rubble, just trying to pull it away, trying to get the patient free. 'You could eventually get enough access to him to check vitals?' At first, no. The only thing visible was back of his head and tops of his shoulder blades."
Fort spokesperson Rebecca Steed said two hours elapsed between time the accident was reported and the man being carried into a helicopter ambulance. It was unclear how long less than that the man was buried.
Steed said first responders came from as near as Leavenworth County and as far as Olathe, Ks. In her words, "Fort Leavenworth rigorously trains to react to emergencies at least quarterly, and thanks to a rich partnership with numerous local law enforcement and first responders in the area, the incident was secured swiftly. Medical response teams activated their action plan almost immediately and combined, personnel were prepared to respond to a large-scale crisis."
The man's name nor condition were made available immediately. His injuries were described as survivable.
Waugh said Army engineers will work to learn why the wall fell.
The former prison building erected in 1877, is being renovated and converted into multi-use offices.