A woman died after being struck by a steel cylinder that rolled away from a construction site in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 3.
Aleia Lopez, 51, a UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital employee, was walking with colleagues when the 1-ton steel cylinder came loose from a University of Pittsburgh construction project, rolled down a hill, broke through a fence and stuck Lopez, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesperson Emily Bourne. The cylinder came to rest against a pickup truck.
Pittsburg police and EMS were called to the scene around 10:40 a.m. Lifesaving measures were attempted, but Lopez was declared dead within a minute of EMS arrival due her head injuries, reports say.
OSHA and the city are investigating the incident. The construction project is a joint venture between Gilbane and Massaro. Costa Contracting was a subcontractor on the site.
According to WTAE, a construction manager on the project released the following statement:
“We are working closely with authorities to investigate this tragic incident involving one of our subcontractors. We’re grateful to the first responders for their swift actions at the site. We are deeply saddened by today’s events, and our hearts go out to the family of the individual impacted by this incident.”
Dennis Blackwell, an attorney for Costa Contracting, released the following statement on the company's behalf:
