Campus Alert Archive
U-M

1,400-Pound Crane Load Falls 13 Floors and Kills Gary Winisky at U-M Mott Hospital Site

MIinfrastructure failureadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On June 22, 2009, at approximately 10:00 AM EDT, Gary Winisky, 48, was killed on the 13th-floor roof of the University of Michigan's new C.S. Mott Children's and Women's Hospital replacement building when a crane's 1,400-pound load of roofing materials became disengaged from its pallet and struck him. The University of Michigan Health System notified all UMHS employees of the accident, and the construction site was temporarily shut down pending investigation.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
1
Injured
0
Institution
University of Michigan
Public R1 · MI
~47,000 studentsUM-Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction447 chars
A tragic accident occurred this morning at the C.S. Mott Children's and Women's Hospital replacement construction site. A construction worker was fatally injured when roofing materials fell from a crane. The University of Michigan Health System extends deepest condolences to the worker's family. The construction site has been temporarily shut down and MIOSHA is investigating. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Risk Management.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The notification was an email to all University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) employees, not a campus-wide emergency broadcast, because the hazard (falling crane load) was immediately contained after the fatal incident.
UMHS's message was a community notification and condolence, not a shelter-in-place order; the campus population was not at risk from an ongoing threat once the crane load had fallen.
Context

Background

The University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's and Women's Hospital replacement project, managed by general contractor Barton Malow, was one of the largest construction projects in the university's history when Gary Winisky Jr. was killed on June 22, 2009. The Michigan Daily reported that Winisky was working on the 13th-floor roof with other employees when a tower crane's load of 1,400 pounds of roofing materials became disengaged from its pallet and struck him on the head. Investigators from Michigan OSHA found that the materials were improperly secured to the pallet and that no one had alerted the workers on the roof about the incoming load. Ann Arbor.com reporting noted that MIOSHA cited both the subcontractor Schreiber Corp. and general contractor Barton Malow and that criminal charges were investigated by the state. This was one of several fatal construction incidents on U-M projects around this period -- in 2008, elevator mechanic David Jeffrey Smith died after falling down an elevator shaft at the Ross School of Business expansion, and in 2010 a masonry worker died at another campus project. The criminal investigation into the masonry company from a related campus incident led to years-long litigation and safety reforms on U-M construction projects.
Analysis

Key Findings

Gary Winisky Jr., 48, was killed at 10:00 AM EDT on June 22, 2009 when a 1,400-pound pallet of roofing materials fell from a tower crane on the 13th-floor roof of the Mott Hospital construction site
MIOSHA found the materials were improperly secured and workers were not warned about the incoming crane load -- dual failures of rigging and communication
UMHS notified employees by email; the site was shut down temporarily; no ongoing hazard to campus community existed once the incident was contained
The incident was one of several construction fatalities on U-M projects in 2008-2010, eventually prompting formal safety partnerships between Barton Malow, building trades unions, and MIOSHA
Outcome
Gary Winisky Jr., 48, was pronounced dead at 10:38 AM EDT in the University of Michigan Medical Center emergency room. Michigan OSHA cited subcontractor Schreiber Corp. ($16,800 fine) and general contractor Barton Malow ($10,000 fine) for safety violations. No campus notification of an ongoing threat was issued because the hazard was identified and contained.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Construction worker killed at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital - Michigan Daily
    michigandaily.com
  2. News
    Company cited in death of construction worker at University of Michigan under criminal investigation - Ann Arbor.com
    annarbor.com
  3. News
    State files criminal charges stemming from construction worker death on University of Michigan campus - Ann Arbor.com
    annarbor.com
  4. Source
    Barton Malow, Building Trades, Contractors and MIOSHA Sign Partnership - For Construction Pros
    forconstructionpros.com
Tags
constructioncrane-accidentworker-fatalityhospital-constructionrigging-failuremichiganosha-investigationcampus-medical-center
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion