University of Chicago Accident : 1 construction worker dead, 1 hurt after falling from scaffold on Chicago's South Side

A tragic accident occurred in Hyde Park on Thursday, resulting in the death of one construction worker and critical injuries to another after they fell from a scaffold.

The incident took place around noon at a construction site on the University of Chicago Medical Center campus, located at East 57th Street and South Drexel Avenue. 

Both workers, who were iron workers employed by New Horizon Steel, fell from the scaffolding of a concrete structure on the eighth or ninth floor. Chicago fire officials reported that the wind had caused the scaffolding to become loose.

One worker was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. The ages of the victims have not been released.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced that it will investigate the accident.

This incident follows another accident at the same site last December, where two construction workers from Turner Construction Company were injured when a piece of equipment fell. Details about that accident were not disclosed at the time.

The construction site is for a new seven-story, 575,000 square-foot cancer care and research pavilion being built on 57th Street between Maryland and Drexel avenues. The project, which received a $20 million grant in December, is part of the University of Chicago Medical Center campus and is expected to open in 2027. 

Once completed, the $815 million facility will feature 80 private beds, 90 exam rooms, a breast cancer center, and dedicated clinical trial spaces, with the capacity to handle up to 200,000 outpatient visits and 5,000 inpatient admissions per year.

This is a developing story, and further details will be provided as they become available.