Excavator being used for Bemis demolition partially sinks into crawl space

In the midst of the demolition of Bemis Lawrence Hall, Western Kentucky University the long arm excavator being used to tear down the structure partially sank into a crawl space at the foot of the building Tuesday.

Brian Kuster, vice president for enrollment and student experience and executive director of the WKU Student Life Foundation, said the excavator was inching toward the building when it suddenly tilted. The driver of the excavator stopped before the excavator could sink further.

“Some parts of buildings [have] space you can actually walk underneath, but it may not be a basement as such,” Kuster said.

Kuster said the crawl space was built into the plans for Bemis Lawrence Hall, and Barnes-Campbell Hall has a similar crawl space.  

“That’s how you could get under that first floor for piping and things like that,” Kuster said. “That was a space you could walk in.”