1 Worker Dies, 6 Hurt in Chicago Building Collapse

Two floors being built in the city’s new main post office collapsed in a tangle of metal girders Wednesday, killing one worker and injuring six others.

James Cooper, who was working on the building near the section that collapsed, said: “It was just a normal day. I heard a crack, and it seemed the world was coming down.”

Chicago Fire Commissioner Raymond Orozco would not speculate on what caused the collapse.

Postal worker Sam Bullock said that he was across the street when he heard a loud noise.

“We saw the beams and the people falling. It was just a domino effect. It was horrible,” he said.

Three men were listed in critical condition at Cook County Hospital. Two other men were in serious condition and another was in fair condition.

The identity of the dead man was not immediately confirmed, said Tony Brucci of the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The new nine-floor post office is being built across the street from the city’s main post office. It covers half a city block.