URBANA, IL (Chambana Today) – Two workers were injured and taken to the hospital in neck braces after bricks fell from the exterior of the Florida Avenue Residence Hall (FAR) in Urbana on Thursday afternoon. The incident occurred shortly before 4:30 p.m. while the men were conducting masonry work on the building.
A construction worker was lowered from the building, placed on a stretcher with a neck brace, and taken away by ambulance. A second injured worker was similarly evacuated about 10 minutes later.
According to Urbana Fire Chief Demond Dade, falling bricks struck and damaged the basket the men were working in, causing it to malfunction and leaving them temporarily stuck. The construction project in that area had only begun earlier that day.
Authorities confirmed there is no ongoing threat to the public. Multiple emergency services, including Urbana Fire, EMS, and University of Illinois Police, responded and remain on scene.
Chief Dade emphasized that the incident was a result of the construction process itself—not weather or external environmental causes.