July 31, 2020

Officials Probe Brownsburg Building Collapse That Killed Teen

stock photo

stock photo

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (AP) — State workplace safety officials are investigating an accident that killed a 14-year-old boy when a suburban Indianapolis building he was helping his father erect was toppled by high winds.

Edwin Campos-Martinez was helping frame and set roof trusses for a new gas station Monday when winds suddenly gusted and the structure collapsed in Brownsburg, just west of Indianapolis.

The teenager died from head injuries, the Marion County coroner’s office said.

The boy's father, Alex Campos, told The Indianapolis Star, that three other people injured in the structure's collapse are recovering.

“A heavy wind came and hit the building. There was nothing we could do," said Campos, who owns Alex Painting and Carpentry.

The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting a safety compliance inspection on the site, said Stephanie McFarland, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Labor, which is also conducting a youth employment inspection.

Youths 14 to 17 need a permit to work most jobs in Indiana, but they don’t need a permit to work for a parent who is the sole proprietor of the business.

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