SEATTLE (AP) - Two workers who were hurt when a pier along Seattle’s waterfront partially collapsed as crews were demolishing portions of it have left the hospital as investigations into the incident have been started.
Harborview Medical Center spokesperson Susan Gregg said Monday that a 30-year-old man was discharged Monday and a 42-year-old man was discharged Sunday.
Pier 58, the structure supporting a park between the Seattle Aquarium and a ferris wheel, gave way Sunday about a month after officials discovered it had moved inches away from the land.
City officials say seven workers were on the pier wearing flotation devices when it began to collapse. Two of them fell into the water while others were able to evacuate. Both were taken to the hospital in stable condition.
No other injuries were reported.
Federal and state workplace safety inspectors have opened investigations into the partial collapse, The Seattle Times reported.
The inspectors will investigate the city and two contractors that were involved with the project before a 15,000-square-foot chunk of the pier broke into Elliott Bay, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries said Monday. The contractors are Orion Marine Contractors and Evergreen Concrete Cutting.
Orion Marine declined to comment to the newspaper on Monday, deferring to the city. Seattle Structural, which designed the pier’s demolition for the city, also declined to comment. Evergreen Concrete Cutting didn’t return a request for comment.
The collapse also will be investigated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Officials said initial inspections revealed no damage to the aquarium or the Seattle seawall.
Last month, officials decided to accelerate the removal of the pier, which was slated for removal in 2022 as part of the redesign of the Seattle waterfront.
Officials will work on new plans to remove the rest of the pier this week and remove debris from the water. Additional fencing has been placed around the site, city officials said.
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