A pedestrian was killed Friday in Oakland when a steel cylinder weighing thousands of pounds rolled away from a construction site at the University of Pittsburgh’s new sports performance center and traveled several hundred feet before striking her, authorities said.
The metal tube, nearly as long as a pickup truck and several feet high, was either knocked over or dislodged from a piece of heavy equipment about 10:40 a.m., said Emily Bourne, a Pittsburgh police spokeswoman.
After rolling down a hill and through a fence, the cylinder struck the woman as she walked with co-workers from UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital in the 3700 block of Terrace Street, police said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Aleia Lopez, 51, of Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood.
The cylinder continued across the roadway and came to rest against a pickup.
Bystanders tended to the woman, and paramedics arrived within four minutes, Bourne said, but she was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:45 a.m. Police said initial reports were that the woman had a head injury.
Pictured on the left is the steel drum that struck and killed a woman walking on the sidewalk earlier here in Oakland.
It was from the University of Pittsburgh’s new sports performance center construction site, and it rolled down the hill on the right @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/VgGFwioJNb
— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) May 3, 2024
The accident occurred near the Petersen Events Center, Pitt’s main arena on Terrace Street, and within a few blocks of Western Psych, the city’s main psychiatric hospital on O’Hara Street.
Emergency officials said there were traffic disruptions at De Soto Street between Sutherland Drive and O’Hara.
Jared Stonesifer, a Pitt spokesman, said the City of Pittsburgh and federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration will lead the investigation with the support of the university.
Gilbane Building Co. and Massaro Construction Group are leading the construction project for Victory Heights, a $240 million sports performance center. In a joint statement Friday afternoon, the contractors provided no details about the incident but said an unidentified subcontractor was involved.
“We are working closely with authorities to investigate this tragic incident involving one of our subcontractors. We’re grateful to the first responders for their swift actions at the site,” it said. “We are deeply saddened by today’s events, and our hearts go out to the family of the individual impacted by this incident.”
Watch: The runaway steel drum that struck and killed a woman walking on the sidewalk earlier in Pittsburgh is now being removed @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/qaTXdl5MdP
— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) May 3, 2024
Jordan Baum said he owns the black pickup struck by the cylinder.
He said he parked on De Soto Street about 7 a.m. Friday and learned of an accident there about 11 a.m.
“It’s not how you want your Friday to go, but a truck is just a truck — you can replace a truck,” said Baum of Cranberry.
Baum, a principal clinical specialist at Abbott Laboratories, said he usually parks on the street every workday.
He said he is praying for the woman’s family.
Scott Fedorek narrowly missed being at the accident scene.
“I came walking down the same path she did around 15 minutes before she did,” said Fedorek, a neurophysiologist at UPMC.
Every day, Fedorek said, he walks the same path down the steps outside the Petersen Events Center onto De Soto Street.
When he is traveling for his job, he usually picks up equipment used in operating rooms in front of Scaife Hall on De Soto Street.
“I would’ve been sitting there at 10:30 waiting for my machines, and it happened sometime around 10:40,” Fedorek said, explaining how co-workers usually run the equipment out to his car.
“You don’t expect it,” he said, noting how beautiful and sunny Friday morning was. “Life can change really quickly.”
University officials approved the construction of the Victory Heights facility in November 2022 on the same site as the former Pitt Stadium.
The $240 million athletic center will include a 3,000-seat arena, as well as space for training, sports medicine and sports performance.
Sarah Wilson is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
