CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Two people were injured -- one fatally -- Wednesday after a snow-covered awning collapsed over a patio at an off-track betting site on the Far South Side.
According to the Chicago Fire Department, it was the first-reported fatality this season in a series structure collapses due to snow in the city.
The awning collapsed under the weight of snow at about 4:40 p.m. at Club Hawthorne Corliss, 11203 S. Corliss Ave. in Pullman, fire officials said.
Firefighters used saws to cut through the awning in the rear of the Club Hawthorne Chicago. Their mission: to rescue two men who were trapped when the structure collapsed.
A 54-year-old man was dug out by firefighters and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died. He was identified as Randy Pate Sr., of West Pullman, by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Another man, 59, escaped from beneath the awning under his own power, fire officials said. He was taken to the same hospital in fair-to-serious condition.
The main building was unaffected by the collapse, but the rest of the awning was pulled down by firefighters.
“It is definitely a case of overloaded deck with snow. And we’re going to get more of these, as I have said earlier," said Fire Department Spokesman Larry Langford.
A call to Club Hawthorne, the OTB, brought no comment.
Since Monday, the fire department has responded to several other collapses - all because of snow accumulation.
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