‘It would’ve been a nightmare’: Steel beam falls hundreds of feet on Boston’s South Station Tower

BOSTON — A steel beam plummeted hundreds of feet after becoming dislodged from the upper floors of the South Station Tower in downtown Boston Wednesday afternoon.

Boston Deputy Fire Chief Brian Tully said the beam fell from one of the upper levels of the tower, still under construction, and landed in an exclusion zone on the ninth floor, shattering a pair of windows along the way.

No one was injured because the beam landed on a cordoned-off part of the building.

Aftermath of fallen steel beam at South Station in Boston

“It would’ve been a nightmare,” said James Juscik who works nearby. “Whether human error or machine error for an accident of that magnitude.”

Chief Tully says the beam landed with enough force it bent by the exterior concrete desk of the building it landed on. Tully said that if it hadn’t hit the desk, it would have landed on a walkway commuters and passengers use to get to South Station.

Suffolk Construction is performing the construction at South Station Tower.

“The safety of our workers and communities is our number one priority, so we are currently investigating the cause of the incident,” said a Suffolk spokesperson.

OHSA with inspectional services will also investigate the incident and determine the reason the beam fell.

The commuter rail platform is closed temporarily.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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