A man died and another was hurt after a snow-covered awning collapsed over a patio Wednesday at an off-track betting site on the Far South Side.
It was the first-reported fatality this season in a series structure collapses due to snow in the city, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
The awning collapsed under the weight of snow about 4:40 p.m. at Club Hawthorne Corliss, 11203 S. Corliss Ave. in Pullman, fire officials said.
A 54-year-old man was dug out by firefighters and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died. He was identified as Randy Pate Sr., of West Pullman, by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
113th Corliss roof over driveway collapse. Two people were there one hit away in time the other was trapped. Trapped victim now out condition not known yet pic.twitter.com/U1L0TorQFe
— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) February 17, 2021
Another man, 59, escaped from beneath the awning under his own power, fire officials said. He was taken to the same hospital in fair-to-serious condition.
The main building was unaffected by the collapse, but the rest of the awning was pulled down by firefighters.
After multiple roofs collapsed Tuesday on the South Side, fire officials warned that the troubles would continue, saying “we can expect more roof failures with the heavy snow load and sub freezing temperatures,” noting that most of the buildings affected were about 100 years old.
In the last three weeks, over 34 inches of snow fell on O’Hare Airport — the snowiest three-week stretch since the historic snowfall of 1978 and 1979, according to the National Weather Service.
When reached over the phone Wednesday, an employee for Club Hawthorne Corliss declined to comment.
