Demolition At Oak Forest Hospital Campus Paused After Excavator Accident: County

OAK FOREST, IL — Demolition efforts at the former Oak Forest Hospital campus has been paused temporarily, Cook County officials said, after an excavator overturned on-site.

The work at 159th and Cicero Avenue has kept its pace, officials said, with the Cook County Bureau of Asset Management leading the efforts. Officials on Thursday said that following the equipment accident on July 25, the agency has stopped work and review the incident and details around it.

The excavator, officials said, hit a collapsed tunnel, causing it to overturn. The equipment operator was rescued from the equipment, taken to a nearby hospital, and released later that day.

"The contractor team’s careful planning and strict safety protocols and procedures are evident in the excellent safety record at the site," officials said.

"Unfortunately, in spite of precautionary measures, a large piece of earth-moving equipment recently gave way over a collapsed tunnel in the demolition work zone.

"As a result of the incident, all work at the site is paused until the contracting team and Bureau of Asset Management review what happened in detail, make any necessary changes to operations, and restore the compromised tunnel."

Once work at the site resumes, demolition will continue apace, with buildings and other structures taken apart piece by piece, without the use of implosions or explosions.

The next phase of routine project permits is underway, and ongoing air quality monitoring reports will continue to be summarized and uploaded to the Cook County website for easy access by members of the public.

For additional information about the Oak Forest Campus demolition, go to www.cookcountyil.gov/oakforest.