Worker crushed under plywood ID’d

Wednesday, April 21, 2004 | 10:44 a.m.

A worker standing on the ground floor of a two-story townhouse under construction in southwest Las Vegas was crushed to death Tuesday after a stack of plywood sheets fell from a roof on top of him.

The Clark County Fire Department's heavy rescue squad spent more than three hours recovering the man's body, fire department spokesman Bob Leinbach said.

Victor Hugo Hernandez, 22, of North Las Vegas, was pronounced dead at the site. An account has been set up at Community Bank for the victim's family. The account number is 0101032366 under the name National Builders.

The fire department received a call about 10:15 a.m. from the Arlington Ranch master-planned community construction site at Rainbow Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road, Leinbach said.

A stack of plywood sheets that cover the roof frame had fallen on the worker, who was standing in the garage area of a townhome, Leinbach said.

Before recovering the worker's body, the heavy rescue squad, consisting of 18 people, had to stabilize the home's framework, Leinbach said.

An investigation is continuing into the accident.