Neal Marshall pipe burst injures employee

An IU employee was rushed to the Bloomington hospital Monday afternoon after an apparent explosion occurred in the basement of the Theatre/Neal-Marshall Education Center. Physical Plant worker Brian Smith, 28, suffered second degree burns on his back after a utility pipe in the building burst.\nTwo other physical plant employees were working in the basement at the time but were not injured. \nThe explosion occurred when either a steam line or hot water line ruptured, said Sgt. Don Schmuhl, IU Police Department.\nThe accident happened around 4 p.m. The IU Office of Risk Management will conduct a full investigation into the exact cause.\nSchmuhl said when he arrived at the building, he noticed a boiler room located in the basement was flooded and thick with steam. \n"We couldn't get down in there," he said. "There was a lot of steam and water."\nMaintenance worker Doris Swearingen helped mop up the mess. \n"(The accident) drenched some supplies and messed up the floor, too," she said. \nA Bloomington Hospital official said Monday that Smith would stay overnight.