28 April 2023 , 13:04
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A man has died while working on the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail link site in Birmingham.
The tragedy occurred yesterday on Balfour Beatty Vinci JV’s (BBV) site at Marston Green.
Emergency services raced to the scene where there they found a man in his 70s in a "serious condition".
He was airlifted to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire where he sadly died.
He was working for a contractor in BBV's supply chain.
How can Britain justify ploughing on with HS2 while up to our neck in debt?
An HS2 Ltd spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened to confirm that an employee working for a company in the supply chain of HS2’s contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI died today following an incident on site near Marston Green on Thursday 27 April.
The Midlands Air Ambulance taking off from the site in Marston Green (Midlands Air Ambulance)"Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time. We are working with our construction partner and the relevant authorities to understand the cause of this incident.”
Construction industry journal New Civil Engineer reports it understands the worker who lost his life "was not wearing adequate personal protective equipment at the time of the accident".
West Midlands Police also attended the scene.
The HS2 site in Birmingham (PA)A spokesman for the force said: “We were called to a construction site on Middle Bickenhill Lane, Solihull, to reports that a man had been injured.
“He was taken to hospital, but was pronounced dead a short time later.
"We are liaising with the Health & Safety Executive and enquiries continue.”
A spokesman for the West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "We were called to an industrial incident near to Middle Bickenhill Lane at 4.09pm on Thursday.
"One ambulance, a paramedic officer, a MERIT trauma doctor and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford attended the scene. On arrival, we discovered one male patient who was in a serious condition.
"Following treatment at the scene, the man was airlifted to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire for further treatment."
HS2 has been a disaster - the cash wasted would be better spent on the North
A West Midlands Fire Service spokesman said: "We had a called at 4.58pm on Thursday (April 27), a request to assist the ambulance service in Middle Bickenhill Lane. We sent a 4x4 brigade response vehicle and a fire engine from Sheldon and Hay Mills.
"The incident involved a man believed to be in his early 70s in cardiac arrest. Crews were required to assist ambulance staff in carrying the man to the air ambulance."
The Mirror contacted Balfour Beatty Vinci JV and HS2 for a comment.