The tombstone, 6 feet tall and weighing nearly 11,000 pounds, tipped over and Power was unable to get out of the way.
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.
This is an update of a story that was filed at 5:26 p.m. Wednesday
SPRINGFIELD - A 56-year-old woman was critically injured Wednesday at a State Street monument company when a 10,000-pound tombstone fell on her, officials said.
The woman, identified as Nancy Power, co-owner of Venezian Monumental Works, 1587 State St., suffered serious injuries to her upper body in the 4:30 p.m. accident, said Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger.
She was rushed by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance. A hospital spokesman said Wednesday night that she is in critical condition in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit.
Firefighters using hydraulic equipment were able to life the stone up enough to free Power from underneath it, Leger said.
State Street was blocked off to traffic for several moments 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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