Baylor University Construction Accident Injures Two

During the construction of Baylor University’s new Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center, two workers fell 35 feet after a scaffolding collapse and were taken to the hospital on Wednesday, March 2, in Waco, Texas, according to local authorities.

The Waco Fire Department received a call at 9:26 a.m. that morning reporting a partial structure collapse at the construction site, said Fire Lt. Keith Guillory. Officials reported that the workers were in a scaffold basket when they fell. Firefighters arrived at 9:29 a.m. and were able to reach the injured workers without incident. “It looked like there were metal beams on the ground, and they fell between the metal beams,” said Guillory. “They were actually pretty fortunate.”

Local news reports that the two workers were taken to Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center. According to the Baylor student newspaper, witnesses said the two workers sustained “minor injuries.” No other injuries were reported, according to Guillory.

“The accident affects every member of the Baylor community, and our prayers go immediately to the two individuals who were injured, as well as their family, friends and coworkers,” read a statement released by Baylor University. “We are deeply appreciative of the rapid response of Baylor University Police Department, Waco Fire and AMR [American Medical Response]. The university is actively supporting the agencies investigating the circumstances of the accident.”

Local news also reports that Vaughn Construction Project Manager Jon McPeters declined to comment as of Wednesday.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Amazon Expands Lockers to More Than 500 College, University Campuses

    Amazon recently announced that its Locker Network now totals more than 750 locations at more than 500 college and university campuses around the United States, according to a company news release.

  • Myrtle Grove Elementary

    Phased Construction Keeps Students on Campus During Rebuild

    When Escambia County School District needed to replace most of Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Pensacola, Fla., it had three distinct challenges: honor the school's legacy in the community, bring state-of-the-art learning environments to the county, and be seamlessly built on the same site as the active school campus.

  • Opportunity by Design Framework

    Opportunity by Design

    Educational improvement efforts often focus on curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional development, and intervention systems while treating the physical school building as background. But school design is not a passive backdrop to learning — it is a structural lever for equity.

  • Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.