BOSTON (WHDH) - A worker was rushed to the hospital on Friday morning after falling 20 feet into a ventilation shaft at the Omni Parker House in downtown Boston, officials said.
Officers responded to a reported major incident involving a trapped person on School Street around 6:50 a.m. and determined a male employee had fallen into the shaft. He was conscious and alert at the time, according to Boston police.
The worker was trapped for some time and was eventually extracted by the Boston Fire Department. He was rushed by Boston EMS to a nearby hospital to be treated for undisclosed injuries.
Boston Inspectional Services also responded to the scene, and said the grate the man fell through was deteriorated and gave way.
“Those things need to be properly inspected so nobody falls down. I mean, those are all over the place,” said one man in the area. “I walk through them but my wife pulls me away, and I think she’s right.”
In a statement, Marc Joseph, the Deputy Boston Building Commissioner, wrote, “Property owners have a responsibility to ensure that all structural elements of their buildings, including sidewalk window well grates and other exterior components, are properly maintained and safe.”
“It’s kind of scary. I’m going to make sure I avoid those going forward,” said one Boston resident.
“It was and is an old city, part of the beauty is the historic nature of it. And I guess it might be at a point where it’s structure could be better,” said one woman.
Investigators said they will be filing a maintanence violation against the Omni Parker House in connection with this incident.
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