Firefighters needed hydraulic equipment to raise the 5-ton stone off the injured woman.
Springfield Rescue Squad firefighter Brian Wanat collects equiptment from under a 10,841 pound granite monument slab that fell on female worker and pinned her. Firefighters used specialized air bags to free her.
SPRINGFIELD - A 56-year-old woman was rushed to the hospital Wednesday afternoon after she was seriously injured when pinned underneath a 5-ton tombstone at a State Street monument company, officials said.
The woman, identified as Nancy Power, co-owner of Venezian Monumental Works, 1587 State St., suffered serious injuries to her upper body when pinned under the stone, said Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger.
Firefighters using hydraulic equipment were able to life the stone up enough to free Power from underneath it, he said. She was rushed by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center for treatment. Leger said he was waiting for an update on her conditions but believed her injuries were serious.
The incident, which happened just after 4:30 p.m., resulted in State Street being blocked off as several police and fire vehicles responded to the scene. The monument company is located in Pine Point across from Tilton Street.
Employees waiting in the parking did not wish to be interviewed.
Leger said Power and another employee were working on the stone in the shop's sandblasting room. The other worker was moving the stone on a dolly when it tipped and fell over, Leger said. The sandblasting room was described as a tight fit by Leger, and Power was apparently unable to get out of the way.
He said the stone was being prepared as a grave marker. He described it as about 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and about 12 inches thick. It weighed 10,841 pounds, he said.
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