ROCHESTER, Pa. — One man has died and three others remain hospitalized after a tragic roofing accident outside Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rochester, Beaver County.
According to police, four men were working together on a sloped grassy area behind the church Wednesday morning when the metal ladder they were moving tipped backward and struck a 23,000-volt power line.
Three of the workers went into cardiac arrest and were rushed to Heritage Valley Hospital. They were later flown to UPMC Mercy for advanced treatment. A fourth man, who suffered burns, was conscious and taken to the hospital.
The men worked for Bucco’s Roofing. The CEO of the company said they were subcontractors, not direct employees of the company.
Duquesne Light told Channel 11 that no request was made to shut off the power before the roofing job began, a decision the utility says is not uncommon for this type of work.
“It was very upsetting,” said Judi Contino, who works at a funeral home next door. “Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone and their families.”
Contino added that she’d been concerned about the roofers working in this week’s extreme heat, calling the accident “very, very tragic.”
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is now leading the investigation into how the accident happened and whether any safety violations occurred.
A spokesperson for Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church told the funeral home employees that they are working to establish a GoFundMe campaign in the coming days to help support the men and their families with medical costs.
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