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Brianzz
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Ramp collapse sends workers into Lake Michigan at casinoA boarding ramp at the new Horseshoe Casino in Hammond collapsed Tuesday morning, sending seven construction workers into Lake Michigan, one of whom was slightly injured, officials said.
About 7:45 a.m., one of the three boarding ramps at the casino, which was closed for construction, shifted after not being fully connected to the pavilion, according to a statement from the casino.
Seven construction workers fell into the lake when the ramp shifted, officials said. A worker from Louisville was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, said Rick Mazer, regional president and general manager of Horseshoe Casino in Hammond.
When the seven workers fell in, an additional nine jumped into the water to rescue them, said Kevin Margraf, chief fire inspector with the Hammond Fire Department. He said several other workers suffered minor cuts, bruises, scratches and bump but were treated at the scene.
He did not know whether the injured, including the worker sent to the hospital, were the ones who fell into the water initially or were the ones in the rescue effort.
"I heard a big bang, and I looked out there. I couldn't see that bridge, but I saw an angle and I knew something was wrong," according to a construction worker on the scene, who asked not to be named.
"When it happens like that, you don't have time to think about what to do. You just react. They knew they had to get out from underneath it. So they jumped," the worker said.
The worker said they were all wearing life jackets. The worker said the water is about 18 feet deep where the ramp is.
The Horseshoe was closed at the time of the incident in preparation for the grand opening of the new casino, according to its Web site.
"A full engineering review is under way, and Horseshoe Casino has taken measures to ensure the safety of the on-site construction staff as they move forward with completing this $500 million project," according to a statement from the casino.
Mike Summers, a business manager with Iron Workers Local 395, said construction crews felt the pedestrian walkway begin to buckle and then give way. A moment later, workers were jumping off, he said.
Summers estimated the structure weighed about 100 tons and said the life preserves helped the workers stay afloat. Horseshoe's Mazer said repairs to the structure would begin as soon as possible, and he did not expect the accident to delay the casino's Aug. 8 reopening.
Casino officials said representatives from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and the American Bureau of Shipping were on site Tuesday, investigating the incident.
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