Worker Killed At 49ers Stadium Construction Site

A man working on the construction of the new San Francisco 49ers stadium was killed this morning when he was hit with a counterweight.

According to the SF Gate, Donald White, a 63-year-old elevator mechanic, was found dead at about 7 this morning.

Authorities say that White, who was a certified mechanic for Schindler Elevator Corp., was standing on a ladder at the bottom of an elevator shaft when he was hit by a counterweight.

Schindler said in a statement that it was “extremely saddened” to learn of White’s passing

The company said: “We offer our sincere condolences to Mr. White’s family, friends and co-workers.”

Dan Beerman, a spokesman for the city, said that the city was devastated with the news but defended the stadium’s general contractor Turner-Devcon.

Beerman said: “The city is devastated … Turner-Devcon has done such a great job with their safety plans. There’s been 1,000 workers a day working at that site for almost a year now, and it’s been amazingly safe. We can’t explain how bad we feel about the family of the employee that died.”

The 49ers also released a statement saying that they “lost a teammate” today.

The team said: “The 49ers organization was deeply saddened to learn this morning of the news at the construction site … Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and co-workers affected by this tragedy. The 49ers family has lost a teammate today.”

Construction on the new 49ers stadium was halted after White’s death but is expected to resume tomorrow.