OSHA probes fatal workplace fall in Blairsville

Workplace inspectors launched an investigation Thursday into the accident that killed a man who fell through three stories of a dilapidated former Blairsville school on Wednesday, a federal official said.

John W. Plunkett, 63, of Colfax, N.C., who died in the fall, was working with Ryan Nupp, 27, of Latrobe on the roof when it collapsed about 12:45 p.m., dropping them to the basement. Plunkett was trapped in the debris and had to be extricated by Blairsville firefighters and other emergency responders, Blairsville police Chief Louis Sacco said.

Plunkett died Wednesday of blunt force injuries at UPMC Presbyterian hospital, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

Chris Robinson, director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Pittsburgh office, said the investigation at the former Third Ward School on South Walnut Street is expected to take up to six months.

Police, borough officials and OSHA inspectors used a drone to capture videos of the building Thursday. The structure was deemed unsafe to enter, Sacco said.

Nupp, an independent contractor, crawled out of the basement and alerted police to where he believed his co-worker was trapped, the chief said. Nupp was in stable condition Thursday in Allegheny Health Network Forbes Hospital in Monroeville.

Police said Plunkett owned the building.

According to Indiana County deed records, the property is owned by Abraham Fellerbaum of Spring Valley, N.Y.

Fellerbaum could not be reached for comment.

Neighbors said workers had been demolishing the interior of the structure since last year.