Man injured inside Waller Creek Tunnel

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A man working on the Waller Creek Tunnel was rushed to the hospital on Thursday afternoon after a beam struck his head.

Emergency crews responded to the injury just before 2:30 p.m. in the 700 block of East 5th Street near Sabine Street.

According to a Carolyn Perez, a spokesperson for the Austin Public Works Department, a five man crew with S.J. Louis Contractors were attempting to install a circular steel support beam when it fell. Four of the workers were able to get out of the way but one worker suffered a blow to the head.

The employees used the mine phones to call for help and within 15 minutes, emergency crews were able to extract the injured worker.

Austin Travis County EMS transported a 24-year-old man with significant injuries to University Medical Center Brackenridge. Perez said he was alert and responsive at the time of transport.

This is the first accident at the site since the project started more than a year ago.

The Waller Creek Tunnel is 26 feet in diameter and is being constructed to keep properties from flooding.

Perez said the excavating part of the project is currently around 80 percent complete.

Once completed, the Waller Creek Tunnel will stretch just over a mile from Waterloo Park (north of 12th Street) to the shores of Lady Bird Lake.