Ten Injured in S.D. Dairy Barn Construction

At least 20 emergency vehicles were on site at a newly constructed dairy farm Monday afternoon after a dairy building collapsed north of Watertown, S.D.

Dairy Construction Accident
Dairy Construction Accident
(Facebook)

At least 20 emergency vehicles were on site at a newly constructed dairy farm Monday afternoon after a dairy building collapsed north of Watertown, S.D.

Ten workers were injured when large, heavy rafters on the east end of a dairy barn they were constructing collapsed on them. With reports of people inside the building during the accident, emergency vehicles rushed to the site to rescue those trapped.

Of the ten, one sustained critical injuries. Five of the injured were taken to Prairie Lakes Hospital in Watertown - three to Milbank and two to Webster.

According to signage on the property, the site is the future home for Blooming Valley Dairy in Summit.

Grant County Deputy Sheriff, Wesley Bowsher, says the investigation will be turned over to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to determine what caused the collapse. The federal agency will also determine whether any fines will be handed down to the construction company building the barn.

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