Demolition Worker Dies after Pennsylvania Church Accident

A Pennsylvania man is dead after falling from a lift at the demolition site of a church.

Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner Andrew Szczyglak says 53-year-old John Martz of Oneida died Monday after the accident at St. George Roman Catholic Church in Shenandoah.

Officials say Martz fell about 60 feet when he and another worker were shoring up a part of the church’s steeple on Monday morning. The other worker was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The Diocese of Allentown issued a statement offering their prayers for both men.

The church was closed in 2006 because of structural problems but demolition was delayed by legal challenges.