A Salina man was hurt in an accident at a construction site in Reno County.
According to the Reno County Sheriff’s Office, first responders were dispatched to a construction site at a bridge to a report of an injury. Upon arrival Deputies made contact with 42-year-old Gonzalo Chavez of Salina who was on his back, in the sand near the river. Deputies rendered aid to Chavez until EMS and fire arrived.
Deputies were told that a crane was loaded with 4,000 lbs of sheet pile. The load of sheet pile was approximately 6 ft. off the ground. The crane operator accidentally took his foot off the crane brake which caused the load to fall. Employees ran to where the load fell and that is when the operator noticed he dropped the load on top of Chavez . He then lifted the sheet pile off of Chavez while other employees rendered aid.
Chavez was later transported to the Hutchinson Airport by EMS and was flown to an area hospital for his injuries.