Roof Collapses On Church And Kills Worker

Roof Collapses On Church And Kills Worker

One man was killed Thursday afternoon when the roof of a church he was working on in Sampson County collapsed.

According to the Sampson County Highway Patrol, crews were working on the new sanctuary of the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Clinton when it collapsed.

Two of the workers were transported to Sampson Regional Hospital. One of those was later airlifted to UNC Hospital.

The man killed & the two injured were construction workers. Their names were not released.

At the time of the collapse, crews were replacing wood around the structure that had just been put up hours before, construction worker Orlando Martinez said. The crane operator had just wrapped up his work and the crew was trying to stabilize the building.

A worker said every time a two by four was removed, they would hear a sound. And then half of the roof collapsed.

There were a total of nine men working when the roof collapsed.

The fatally injured worker had been with the crew for two days. Co-workers stated he was so relieved to have a job.

The contractor for the construction project is Clifton Halso Building Contractor in Chinquapin.

Tony Rackley, chairman of the church's Board of Deacons, said the new sanctuary was being built to coincide with the church's 100th anniversary. Construction of the sanctuary started last October and was expected to be completed by November of this year, Rackley said.

Sampson County authorities said representatives with the Department of Labor and Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be at the site on Friday to investigate the structure collapse.