Construction Worker OK After Being Struck By 2,000-Pound Boulder

SHOREWOOD — A worker at a Shorewood construction site suffered non-life-threatening injuries Tuesday morning in an incident in which the man was struck by a 2,000-pound boulder, may have fallen 60 feet down a hill and needed to be rescued by authorities, the Journal Sentinel reported.

The incident occurred in the 4000 block of North Lake Drive. The North Shore Fire Department responded to the scene and performed a 30-minute rescue operation.

According a North Shore Fire Department spokesman, the man was part of a construction crew hired by the Village of Shorewood for an erosion prevention project. The crew was working on the property of a private residence.

Dan Tyk, battalion chief of the North Shore Fire Department, told the Journal Sentinel that first responders were not sure if the victim was struck by the boulder at the top of a bluff, causing him to fall 60 feet down the hill, or if he had been at the bottom of the hill when he was hit by the boulder.

"Apparently they were moving some stone or some larger rocks that were the base for their erosion control, and one of the rocks let loose or went out of control and ultimately struck this guy," Tyk said.

Tyk said the rescue involved responders using a rope and rigging equipment to carry the man up the hill to safety. The battalion chief said his department is forced to perform a few bluff rescues every year, and trains twice a year for that type of scenario.

Read more at the JSonline.com.