BRIEFLY

Deepa Bharath

A construction worker was reported to be in serious condition after he

fell 15 feet through a stairwell and landed on a concrete floor at the

Newport Bluffs Apartment Village, hitting his head, officials said

Tuesday.

The victim, who was not identified but believed to be in his 30s, was

spray-painting on the first floor of the Newport Beach building in the

5100 block of Residencia at about 2:45 p.m., when he must have slipped

and fallen, said Newport Beach Fire Capt. John Blauer.

When firefighters and paramedics arrived, the man was on the ground,

unconscious and bleeding heavily with injuries to his face and forehead,

Blauer said.

He said no one saw the man fall and that it is not known how long he

had been on the ground bleeding before other workers spotted him. He was

stabilized by paramedics and taken to an open field near Bison Avenue so

he could be airlifted to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, Blauer

said.