Construction resumes on Vikings stadium as worker who died is identified
Construction on the Minnesota Vikings’ new stadium continued Thursday morning, one day after a worker fell from the roof and died.
On Wednesday morning, a worker fell 50 feet off the edge of the roof into a snow gutter and died. The man wasn’t officially identified, but according to multiple reports including the St. Paul Pioneer Press that cited friends and relatives, the worker who fell and died was 35-year-old Jeramie Gruber. Another man was injured on the roof on Wednesday morning. He was rescued from a crevice in the roof.
The Associated Press reported through public records that Berwald Roofing Co., a subcontractor on the Vikings’ stadium project, has received nine citations for serious violations in the past five years. Six were for lack of fall protection, the Pioneer Press reported citing data provided by the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration. KARE 11 in Minneapolis said federal law “mandates construction workers to have some sort of protection or harness when working several feet off the ground.” The Pioneer Press said the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is working with the stadium’s lead contractor, Mortenson Construction, to determine the cause of the accident.
While construction on the site continued on Thursday morning, a co-owner of Berwald Roofing Co. said its employees would not return to work before the weekend.
U.S. Bank Stadium is scheduled to open in July of 2016.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
