A 35-year-old construction worker died this morning after the front end loader he was driving fell seven stories to the ground as demolition work was being done at a Chicago Housing Authority high-rise this morning, officials said.

Carlos Mayorga of the 6400 block of South Hamlin Avenue was pronounced dead at 10:08 a.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, said a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

According to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Quention Curtis, the Bobcat had been lifted to the seventh floor about 9:40 a.m. this morning at a demolition site in the 2400 block of South State Street. Once it arrived there it fell off the floor, falling to the ground.

The driver was extricated by Fire Department personnel, who arrived at the scene within minutes from a nearby station, and was transported in critical condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Curtis said.

The work was part of the demolition of the Harold Ickes Homes which began on Aug. 3, according to CHA officials. The demolition work is expected to be concluded in December.

Chicago police officials were conducting a death investigation into the accident, said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer JoAnn Taylor.
Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating, officials said.

Matthew Aguilar a CHA spokesman declined to comment about the accident pending the conclusion of the investigations.