3 workers injured, 1 killed after brick facade falls from building

A 44-year-old worker died and three others were injured Saturday afternoon when a brick facade fell from a West Lawn neighborhood building and injured workers, officials said.

The accident happened shortly before 1 p.m., at a single-story commercial building that houses several different businesses across the street from a Mexican restaurant in the 4100 block of West 63rd Street, Chicago Fire Department officials said.

Workers were making changes to the buildings facade when it came tumbling down. Stacks of fallen bricks remained piled on the sidewalk an hour after the accident, attracting a group of gawkers who stood in the parking lot across the street.

A 44-year-old man and a 30-year-old man were taken in serious-to-critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where the older man later died. A 44-year-old man was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in fair-to-serious condition. According to police officials, a 41-year-old man was injured but refused treatment.

Chicago Department of Buildings spokeswoman Mimi Simons said the work at the site was being performed by unlicensed contractors without building permits.

When a full inspection is complete, we expect that we will issue the building owner several violations, said Mimi Simons, spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Buildings.

The building owner must remove the debris and erect a canopy for the public's safety, she said.

Ramona Lopez, 55, runs a bakery and a small shop selling religious artifacts and plants inside the building. Lopez, who is a tenant in the building, said the workers had been there for three days and described them as hard-working, humble people.

Lopez was working inside the building when she heard a loud crash and saw the accident, she said.

Fighting back tears, she said she was nervous about the future of the building and what its closure could mean for her family.

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3 workers injured, 1 killed after brick facade falls from building