Madison construction worker in stable condition after beam fall

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A construction worker is in stable condition after a beam dropped at a site near Capitol Square in Madison.

City of Madison Fire Department crews at 9:28 a.m. on Saturday were dispatched to the corner of State Street and Fairchild Street for a crane that dropped a 20,000-30,000-pound beam, which fell around 50 feet through sublevels of the construction site, officials said.

One worker fell with the beam and another was stranded with the crane above the site, officials said. A special rescue team was dispatched to save the employee who fell, and they were taken to a local hospital. The rescue team used a basket to recover the stranded worker. No one else was injured, officials added.

The incident happened at the site of the new Wisconsin History Center overseen by Madison-based Findorff.

Findorff confirmed one of their employees was hurt in the incident. The injured employee was in stable condition, a company spokesperson said.

“The health and safety of our employees and everyone on our job sites is our highest priority,” the spokesperson said.

Work has been paused and Findorff is working with local authorities and safety officials to find the cause of the incident, they added.

The fire department’s Heavy Urban Rescue Team, a fire engine and a ladder truck responded to the incident, fire officials said. The fire engine and ladder truck worked with construction equipment and operators to rescue the employee who fell. HURT used the basket to recover the stranded employee, they added.

Findorff was working on a 100,000-square-foot history museum for the Wisconsin Historical Society at the intersection of State Street and North Carroll Street. Crews demolished the current museum at 30 North Carrol St. and tore down 20 and 22 North Carroll St. Currently, the frame of the building has reached the third floor.

The previous museum was known as the Wisconsin Historical Museum.

The project broke ground in April 2025. The $160.5 million Wisconsin History Center is expected to open in 2027.