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| Spa track barn collapsed during renovations Worker pulled from wreckage, sent to hospital |
| By CHRISTEN GOWAN, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. Last updated: 12:18 p.m., Thursday, May 1, 2008
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| SARATOGA SPRINGS -- New York Racing Association workers were raising the roof of a barn at the Oklahoma Training Track this morning when the entire barn collapsed.
Saratoga facilities manager Charlie Wheeler said, in a statement, that the weight of the structure shifted, causing the barn to fall onto its side. One worker, whose identity has not yet been released by authorities, was trapped until rescuers were able to free him from the wreckage. He was put in a back brace, placed on a stretcher and taken by helicopter to Albany Medical Center Hospital to treat a broken arm. The other five carpenters suffered minor scrapes and were treated at the scene. Due to the renovations, no horses or other people were in the barn at the time of the collapse. Wheeler said that this is the seventh such barn renovation these workers have undertaken in the past year. The damaged barn is located in the Horse Haven section of the training track. Trainer Gary Contessa had been assigned to the bar, which will be rebuilt in six to eight weeks, officials said. The 100-year-old barn contained 10 stalls and measured 120 feet by 25 feet. The training track is across Union Avenue from the race course.
Workers and security move about around the collapsed barn at the Oklahoma Race Track in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, May 1, 2008. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)  www.unionreview.com
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