Body of Construction Worker, 30, Found After Site Collapse

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. (AP) — State police say the body of a worker was found in the rubble of a collapse at a construction site in Pennsylvania.

Trooper Megan Frazer said the body of the 30-year-old man was found at about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday at the site of the Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls plant in Guilford Township, Franklin County.

Herald-Mail Media identified the victim as Steven Garrett Graby, 30, of Washington, Pa. He was an employee of the Structural Steel Erectors Division of High Industries, based in Lancaster, Pa., the newspaper said, citing the Franklin County coroner.

Wohlsen Construction is the general contractor at the site. The Herald-Mail said the company released this statement:

“Yesterday was a tragic day. In the afternoon, an employee of a trade contractor at the Martin’s Potato Rolls facility in Chambersburg, PA was fatally injured.

“The Wohlsen Construction family is deeply saddened by this event. We continue to work with authorities to investigate the cause of this incident. As more information becomes available, we will share.”

Franklin County dispatchers said about three 25-by 50-foot sections of concrete came down at about 2 p.m. Tuesday, PennLive.com reported. A storm was hitting the site at the time but officials said it’s unclear whether the collapse was weather-related.

Police said a number of fire departments responded and were involved in rescue and then recovery efforts. Martin’s spokesperson Julie Martin told PennLive that search-and-rescue teams were called in to conduct a thorough search in the hope that the missing worker might be alive in a void space in the collapse zone.

Chambersburg-based Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe Inc., which produces bread and rolls, broke ground late last year for the building, which officials said will include about 260,000 square feet of additional production capacity and a 16,000 square foot cold dock. Martin’s said the expansion was needed to meet increased demand.

State police and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the accident.