Alabama airport sign falls on family, killing boy
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - A sign at the Birmingham airport fell on a family Friday, killing a 10-year boy and injuring other family members.
Deputy Coroner Derrick Perryman said 10-year-old Luke Bresette was pronounced dead at Children's of Alabama. Two other children were being treated there, and the mother, Heather Bresette, was taken to University Hospital, where spokeswoman Nicole Wyatt said she was in critical condition. The coroner's office and the hospital did not disclose the family's hometown.
Firefighters estimated the arrival-departure sign weighed 300 to 400 pounds.
Albert Osorio, 46, of Birmingham told al.com that he was close by when the sign fell. He said a loud boom was followed by screams from the family and witnesses. Then he and five other passers-by lifted off the sign.
"The whole thing flipped down on those kids. It took all of us here to stand it up," he said.
Airport spokeswoman Toni Herrera-Bast said officials aren't sure how the sign fell. She said it happened about 1:30 p.m. Friday in a pre-security area of the airport. The airport continued operating while rescue workers tended to the family.
The airport completed the first phase of a more than $201 million modernization effort and opened newly renovated concourses last week.
Mayor William Bell issued a statement saying the city offered its full support to the Airport Authority in investigating the accident.
Deputy Coroner Derrick Perryman said 10-year-old Luke Bresette was pronounced dead at Children's of Alabama. Two other children were being treated there, and the mother, Heather Bresette, was taken to University Hospital, where spokeswoman Nicole Wyatt said she was in critical condition. The coroner's office and the hospital did not disclose the family's hometown.
Firefighters estimated the arrival-departure sign weighed 300 to 400 pounds.
Albert Osorio, 46, of Birmingham told al.com that he was close by when the sign fell. He said a loud boom was followed by screams from the family and witnesses. Then he and five other passers-by lifted off the sign.
"The whole thing flipped down on those kids. It took all of us here to stand it up," he said.
Airport spokeswoman Toni Herrera-Bast said officials aren't sure how the sign fell. She said it happened about 1:30 p.m. Friday in a pre-security area of the airport. The airport continued operating while rescue workers tended to the family.
The airport completed the first phase of a more than $201 million modernization effort and opened newly renovated concourses last week.
Mayor William Bell issued a statement saying the city offered its full support to the Airport Authority in investigating the accident.
Unbelievable! Super Glue will not work on everything.
Government bought contractors cutting corners to keep on budget?
Condolences to the family and friends.
How TRAGIC and SAD.Â
"Mayor William Bell issued a statement saying the city offered its full support to the Airport Authority in investigating the accident."
And what about the full support of the city to the family who suffered the tragedy? It will be interesting to see just how thorough the "investigation" turns out to be.
Alabama...that says it all.
I wonder if it was a sign from above?
LAWSUIT. This is terrible.Â
with businesses not training new workers and hiring the least qualified people it's probably a good idea to wear a hard hat everywhere
This is one lawsuit I would definitely get behind...totally inexcusable...
Sorry little Man this should not have happened. R.I.P Luke Bresette.
Poor sweet family. What a tragic loss for them.
Faulty workmanship. I can't imagine any other possibility. There were no recorded earthquakes, no tornado's, no plane crashing into the terminal, no other source that could have caused the securing mechanism to fail.
It's a sad day, make that sad years for the family.
@RalphCramden yup, it's the main problem with using the cheapest labor bid offered.
@Ramsesthegreat
It should have been inspected by a government inspector who certainly failed on this one. Lots of heads will roll on this and it will be interesting to see who signed off on the inspection.
@Mikey
There was a guy in Clackamas I heard of who's house caught in fire. The cause was that there wasn't any ground connections to the house. It was that way when it was built in the 90's.
It was discovered that none of the houses in the area had any grounding for the electrical systems. Do you think anything came back on the inspector? Not a chance. Even the insurance company couldn't get the country to pay for the damages because too much time had elapsed.
@RalphCramden Probably not, Ralph. One head, maybe. If they allow it to go too deep, they're liable to uncover a lot more shoddy everything and the entire Alabama economy would collapse.Â
@Ramsesthegreat @RalphCramden Non union at a airport?