UPDATE on Garage Construction Collapse: 2/22/2011

University Health System has hired a forensic engineering firm out of Washington D.C. to investigate the cause of last week’s University Hospital garage construction project collapse. The portion that collapsed, was not occupied and included only columns and beams.

At this point, we do not have any preliminary findings on the cause and it would be inappropriate for us to speculate. We are hoping to have the report from the engineering firm within the next two weeks. Work will NOT resume on the hospital garage project until we have those findings and our leadership is satisfied that it is entirely safe to proceed.

However, the construction manager for the Capital Improvement Program at University Hospital, Zachry Vaughn Layton, and their subcontractors are continuing to work on the new 10-story tower at University Hospital. This construction project is located directly in the front of the existing hospital, in an entirely separate construction zone. The collapse did not impact the tower construction, and the new hospital building remains on schedule to open in early 2014.

We will provide you with the findings of the engineering report as soon as they become available.

The two injured workers remain hospitalized at University Hospital. One remains in the Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit. The other is on our inpatient rehabilitation unit.