Construction worker critical after 10m fall at Cross River Rail site

A man in 50s has been rushed to hospital after falling 10m at the construction site of a government project in Brisbane.

A worker on Brisbane’s Cross River Rail project is in a critical condition after plunging about 10m from the Boggo Road station site on Tuesday. Picture David Clark

A construction worker is fighting for life after falling about 10m at the site of Brisbane’s Cross River Rail Project.

Emergency services were called to the Boggo Rd site in the southside suburb of Dutton Park around 1.15pm on Tuesday to reports the 54-year-old man fell from scaffolding onto the concrete below.

He was rushed to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition with extensive internal injuries.

Rescuers were forced to use a crane and cage to safely extract him from the site. Queensland Police Inspector Andrew Tracey said the exact height of the fall is being investigated.

“There was a number of obstacles that he struck on the fall,” Insp Tracey said.

“That is all being investigated.”

While Queensland Ambulance Service believe the fall was about 8m, Police say it may have been as much as 10m.

The site was immediately shut down and will remain closed on Wednesday, a Cross River Rail spokesperson confirmed.

“Our thoughts are with the worker, his family and his colleagues and psychology services have been deployed to site to assist,” a statement read.

“The Delivery Authority and our major contractors take safety extremely seriously and the exact cause and details of the incident are under investigation.”

Workplace Health and Safety is leading the investigation, with police assisting. The government agency would not comment directly on the incident on Tuesday afternoon.

The Queensland Government’s $6.3bn Cross River Rail project see the construction of an underground train line in the heart of Brisbane, with six new stations. It is expected to be delivered in 2026.

The CFMEU state secretary Michael Ravbar slammed the project in March, claiming it had the “worst safety record of any major construction project in Australia”.