Worker dies at ISU while removing collapsed column

NORMAL -- A massive concrete column collapsed at Illinois State University on Christmas, and a 57-year-old worker died while trying to remove it.

McLean County Coroner Beth Kimmerling says Stephen White of Bloomington was pronounced dead at the scene of Friday's accident. No other injuries have been reported.

Authorities say White was using an excavator to move part of the four-story column when it broke lose and crushed the cab of the vehicle.

A university spokesman says the piece that fell on the excavator weighed about 18,000 pounds.

The cause of the collapse is still under investigation. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration is assisting in the investigation.

The building, Hovey Hall, houses the university's administrative offices.