Look Out Below

The boys putting together the new WaMu tower across from Benaroya Hall had some trouble yesterday when a beam fell and injured three. The details are slow in coming, but somehow a beam that was designated as part of the flooring escaped the grasp of a crain that was holding it in place. One of the injured men is in critical condition at Harborview. The Washington Department of Labor and Industries is, of course, hastily dispatched investigators to the site.

The NBBJ designed 45-story tower will be Washington Mutual's new home when it's finished next year and will be a part of complex that houses a SAM expansion.

From the Seattle Times:

"It was pretty scary," [Bystander Pam] Brown said. "All I heard was this crashing, loud, grinding noise and I looked up and saw a guy up there. He was straddling that beam. It's a good thing he had his safety lines on."

Police closed the area for roughly two hours. After the collapsed beam was stabilized, the work site was closed for the day.

Take a peek at the going's on from this eye in the sky webcam.