Three construction workers were killed and four more were seriously injured yesterday when a Mississippi bridge collapsed as crews were prepping it for demolition.
The bridge over the Strong River on State Route 149 in Simpson County had been closed since Sept. 18 as part of a project to replace the bridge, according to the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) in a news release.
The bridge gave way as crews worked on the structure, and the team members fell nearly 40 feet, according to Terry Tutor, the Simpson County coroner in an interview with the New York Times.
The crew was part of the contractor company T.L. Wallace Construction who was tasked with demolishing the bridge, according to MDOT.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a social media post Wednesday that the Federal Highway Administration was “engaging state officials concerning” the “premature collapse during demolition of a bridge on State Route 149 in Mississippi.”
MDOT spokesperson Anna Ehrgott said the agency would share more information as it became available.
MDOT said one of its inspectors was at the work site when the bridge collapsed. They are unharmed.
Source: Boston.com, The Washington Post, WAGMTV
