Updated at 4:23 p.m.
A woman suffered life-threatening injuries when she was apparently struck by a construction guardrail that fell off of a building as she walked on a sidewalk Thursday morning near Boston’s Long Wharf.
The victim was rushed to the hospital, but her name and status has not been disclosed.
The woman, who is in her mid-30s, was walking in front of the Commercial Wharf East building at 85 Atlantic Ave when she was hit.
The roof of the building has been under construction. A section of a metal safety railing that borders the roof is now missing, near a crane that's on the roof. Police loaded a section of railing that was lying on the ground into a crime scene response vehicle.
"We'll be looking to make sure that appropriate permits were obtained and work was being conducted in a safe manner," Boston Inspectional Services Commissioner Dion Irish told reporters Thursday. "And there are additional layers of investigation that will be conducted by Boston Police and Fire."
A company called Corolla Contracting, based in Winthrop, received a permit in May to do work on the building's roof. The company had been cited by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 2017 for a safety violation related to fall protection requirements. OSHA records indicate the company was fined $11,154, and received a $5,577 fine at the same time for a violation related to training requirements. The company met with OSHA to discuss the violation, a settlement was reached, and the fine was reduced to $1,000.
In 2014, the company was fined $7,500 by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for its failure to review and record employees' eligibility to work in the U.S.
Corolla executives did not respond to multiple calls and emails requesting comment.
Hannah Reale contributed to this story.
