Worker hurt when forklift fell through downtown sidewalk

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A forklift operator has been taken to the hospital, after the equipment he was operating fell through the sidewalk Tuesday morning.

Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant told 22News that the worker was moving potted plants on the street, when the sidewalk gave way . He hit his head on the way down, and was hospitalized, though he is expected to be okay.

Conant said that the sidewalk in this particular area, between the intersection of Main Street and Boland Way and the pedestrian plaza that connects Main Street to Pynchon Street, does not have a lot of protection because there is a sub-cellar underneath it.

DPW director Al Chwalek told 22News that workers are checking the sidewalks in the immediate area of the break, and that workers from the gas and electric companies are also trying to ensure that the incident didn't damage the gas or electric lines into the building the sidewalk borders.

A small crowd gathered to watch a crane pull the forklift out of the hole late Tuesday morning. Chwalek said that workers will put down a metal plate over the hole before permanent repairs are made.

Southbound traffic on Main Street was diverted in the area while the crane was in place to remove the forklift.