Worried Sister Searches For Answers After Partial Roof Collapse Injures 2 Workers
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DORAL (CBSMiami) -- A worried sister is searching for answers after her brother and another worker are hospitalized after falling through a hole in the roof of a Doral company.
"He means a lot to me. He is my brother," said Liznell Gascott, whose 37-year-old brother Felix Gascot was taken by air rescue along with the other worker to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
She told CBS4's Peter D'Oench "I found out about this when I got a call that my brother was at the Ryder Trauma Center and when I came down here and saw the tubes in him it is hard. You don't want any family member in this sort of position."
It was 9:30 a.m. when Miami-Dade Fire rescue was called to the food distribution company at N.W. 97th Ave. and 13th St. after hearing about the partial roof collapse.
Gascot, who is a married father of two children, is the Vice President of an air conditioning company, Royal AIRE. He was working with another man from Best Roofing Service of Fort Lauderdale when the hole opened up and they fell about 20 feet.
"With everything they are telling us, I heard my brother is stable but he has a partial bone fracture and his ribs are fractured and he is incubated right now and they are waiting to see if they need to do a CT scan or any other procedures," said Gascot.
"They have also told us he has a partial fracture in his shoulder and blood in his head and I hope he pulls through ok because we love him very much and he has a wife and two children who love him very much," she said.
"I just want to know how this happened. How did this roof collapse if it was supposed to be stable," she said. "We just have a lot of questions."
Gascot said her brother's wife was headed to the hospital and his mother was flying to Miami from Puerto Rico.
Gregg Wallick, The CEO of Best Roofing Service, said "They were involved in relocating an air conditioning unit and they were in an area where the decking came loose. It was an old roof and it was being replaced."
Rey Valdes, a spokesman for Doral Police, said, "They were processing a big cut and when they made the cut the roof gave way and they fell."
Lt. Kirsten Miller with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said time was precious and crews moved quickly.
"They got there very fast," she said. "All the units were packed up and on their way to the hospital in less than 10 minutes."
Wallick said the man who worked for his company was "in pain but he was able to speak with the doctor. They took a pretty good fall but we're optimistic that tests will come out positive. There might be some broken bones with him. In a fall like this there are problems. His family wants you to keep him in your prayers. This was a very unusual situation."
"It was their last day on the job," he said. "They were hoping to wrap things up today."
Authorities said OSHA—-the Occupational Safety and Health Administration—-will be investigating which is standard procedure after such employee-involved accidents.
A GoFund me page has been set up to help Felix Gascot with medical costs. Click here, if you would like to help.
