Man killed at St. Paul, Minn., stadium construction site

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A building collapse at the construction site of a downtown St. Paul, Minn., baseball stadium killed a construction worker, officials said.

Johnny Valek, 61, was operating a backhoe Tuesday when a 10-by-30-foot section of concrete fell from a two-story building under demolition and landed on the roof of the backhoe's cab, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Wednesday.

"It appears it was very sudden," said St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard. "No one else was hurt."

Crews used another backhoe to remove the concrete slab from atop Valek's vehicle, the newspaper said.

Ryan Cos., the lead construction company of the project, said in a statement Valek was employed by a subcontractor, Rachel Contracting.