Construction worker injured in fall at Caesars tower

Tuesday, June 8, 2004 | 11:47 a.m.

A 35-year-old construction worker fell 12 feet from scaffolding onto the eighth floor of the under-construction sixth hotel tower at Caesars Palace around 6 p.m. Monday, fire officials said.

The man was directing a crane on the ninth floor of the structure when he stepped into a crevice and fell, according to Clark County Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach.

The tower is currently nine stories tall, Michael Coldwell, spokesman for Caesars Entertainment, said.

Rescuers were concerned the man suffered back and internal injuries, so they used a construction crane to lower him to the ground, where he was taken to University Medical Center, Capt. Greg Cassell said.

The man suffered from abdominal injuries that were not thought to be life threatening. He was conscious and breathing when rescuers arrived, Cassell said.

"He only fell 12 feet, but you can get killed from falling that far depending on how you fall and what you fall on," Leinbach said. "He fell and I believe hurt his abdomen and stomach area and was lucky."

Coldwell said the man may have been a subcontractor for the Perini Construction Co., the firm hired to complete the renovations to Caesars Palace.

The tower is expected to be 29 stories when it is completed, Coldwell said.