Deliveryman crushed under granite slabs at Santa Rosa tile business

A deliveryman at a Santa Rosa tile business suffered major injuries Thursday after being crushed under four tons of granite that landed on him, the Santa Rosa Fire Department reported.

Six granite slabs fell on the man while he was unloading a truck around 1:15 p.m. at Ceramic Tile Center on Santa Rosa Avenue, Battalion Chief Ken Sebastiani said. Each of the slabs measured about 6-by-10 feet and all together weighed about 8,000 pounds, he said.

Firefighters used a hydraulic tool, airbags and a ladder truck to free the man, who wasn't identified.

“It took about 10 minutes to get him out from underneath,” Sebastiani said.

It remains unknown how the slabs slipped off the truck boom, Sebastiani said. It's likely the man worked for an outside vendor and was just delivering the stone to the business, he added.

Ceramic Tile Center officials did not return multiple messages.

A Cal-OSHA spokeswoman confirmed the agency is investigating the incident and had a representative on scene shortly after the accident was reported. Santa Rosa police are also investigating, according to Sebastiani.