Tragedy struck during the construction of the Vikings' new stadium when two workers fell during roofing work, leaving one dead and the other seriously injured.
The men, employees of Berwald Roofing whose names have not been released, fell from the top of the building on its north side at around 7:45 a.m. Wednesday in Minneapolis, according to ESPN.
John Wood, a vice president for Mortenson Construction, is the general contractor for the building and he confirmed the details of the horrific incident, though he kept the specifics at a minimum. A news conference was scheduled for later Wednesday.
After the two men fell, they received medical attention on the site before being taken to the hospital, where one of them passed away. The other man is said to be in serious condition.
Work on the site has been halted for the rest of the day and the Vikings released a statement on the incident.
"Today is an extremely sad day for the Minnesota Vikings organization and the entire stadium team," the statement reads, according to ESPN. "Our sincere thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the individual who passed away, the worker who remains hospitalized, and the more than 1,000 dedicated construction workers who are on the site every day and are also affected by this accident."
The Vikings, who are playing at the University of Minnesota while the new stadium is being built, are set to play the first home game of this season at TCF Bank Stadium in Week 2 against the Lions, and their new building, U.S. Bank Stadium, is set to be completed next fall.
The stadium is being built on the site of the Metrodome, the team's former stadium, and will cost over $1 billion.
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