2 workers hurt in court's roof collapse

Two construction workers were injured Wednesday when they fell 40 feet after the roof of an underground basketball and racquetball court being built collapsed in Brookville, fire officials said.

The men, who were not identified, were airlifted to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.

They suffered "non-life-threatening injuries" and were in stable condition, said Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office spokesman Vincent McManus.

Officials said an Old Brookville police officer who responded to the scene required medical treatment for an unspecified injury.

The underground court would have been accessible from the basement of a $2.875-million, 5,700-square-foot home on Meadowood Lane. The home is just west of Cedar Swamp Road.

The owner could not be reached for comment Wednesday. The village of Brookville's building department did not return calls seeking information on the permits that had been issued.

The collapse happened just before noon as the workers used wheelbarrows to move soil onto the roof of the court, officials said.

"The workers were on the roof of the structure when it gave way and they basically rode it down," McManus said.

The cave-in left a huge hole where the roof had been, with girders and corrugated roofing material littering the scene.

"They were covered with debris and feared trapped," McManus said. "Fortunately, the fire department was able to gain access to them at ground level and then remove them."

He said it was not clear what had caused the collapse.

A sign at the site said the architectural and building company, SpectorGroup, should be contacted in case of an emergency. A man at the firm's Woodbury office said they couldn't discuss the workers or the project.

"Nobody can really respond until we really know the facts," said the man, who did not give his name.