Ironworker dies after falling nine stories at University of Chicago construction site

An ironworker died and another was seriously hurt Thursday after they fell off scaffolding and plunged nine stories to the ground at a University of Chicago Medicine construction site.

The workers were helping build a cancer research center, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The workers fell around 12:15 p.m. during high winds, Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said.

The surviving worker was taken to UChicago Medicine, which was only a few steps away from the construction site.

He was listed in critical condition.

The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation.