Six carpenters were injured Thursday morning when the roof slipped off a barn being renovated near the Oklahoma Training Track in Saratog Springs, N.Y., according a statement from Charlie Wheeler, facilities manager for Saratoga Race Course.
No horses were in the barn being renovated, Barn 50, and no other barns were damaged when the roof slid off of eight jacks that were supporting it. The roof was being raised so the workers could install new walls within the 10-stall barn. The roof shifted while it was being elevated, causing it fall onto its side.
Five of the six carpenters suffered minor scrapes and cuts and were treated on the scene. The sixth worker was airlifted to Albany Medical Center with a broken arm. All of the carpenters are employed by NYRA. This renvoation project is their seventh on the Saratoga backside within the past year, according to Wheeler. The training track is across Union Avenue from Saratoga's main track.
Trainer Gary Contessa had been assigned to barn 50. The renovation is expected to be done in six to eight weeks.
