Man dies from injuries in Paulding hangar collapse

One man has died from injuries he received when a hangar under construction collapsed at Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport.

Christopher Mathis, 30, of Valdosta, died Monday from injuries sustained in last Wednesday's hangar collapse, Paulding County deputy coroner Karen Robinson told the AJC.

A second man was also injured, but he was released from the hospital on the same day of the accident. Robinson did not know his name.

The hangar is the second being built at the Paulding airport, which is 30 miles northwest of Atlanta and six miles west of downtown Dallas. It opened in November 2008 on U.S. 278 (Rockmart Highway).

Airport director Blake Swafford Swafford told the AJC that eight to 10 workers were at the site at the time of the incident. He said crews were putting in support bracing for the new 30,000-square-foot corporate hangar when the collapse occurred.

He said officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other agencies are investigating if wind was a factor in the collapse, according to Robinson.

Swafford said 24 aircraft are based at Paulding Northwest.