Sand breaks construction worker’s 60-foot fall from scaffolding in Florida

Updated Nov 26, 2014

Florida is known for its white sandy beaches, and one construction worker will likely look at that sand with a whole new appreciation after an accident this past weekend.

In Shalimar, a worker part of a crew on a project at a former annex of the Okaloosa County Courthouse fell between 60 and 70 feet from scaffolding, according to a report from the Northwest Florida Daily News. The worker was not identified but is in his 20s or 30s, according to the report.

His co-workers ran to the fire station next door for help rather than calling for an ambulance. Ocean City-Wright Fire Department Battalion Chief Terry Kline told the paper that the worker landed “soft sand, mere feet away from steel rods sticking up from the ground.”

The worker was able to speak with firefighters after the fall and was flown to a Pensacola hospital in serious condition.