Bridge Construction Accident Sends Workers Tumbling Into Louisiana Lake, Kills 1

By Aaron Poehler

Published on November 07, 2008

One man is dead after a girder gave way and fell from a 30-foot piling into Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain from a new bridge under construction on Interstate 10.

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain reported that Thursday afternoon a girder snapped unexpectedly, sending 10 construction workers into the waters of Lake Pontchartrain along with concrete and other construction materials. Nine of the workers were swiftly rescued and reportedly incurred no injuries more serious than broken bones. However, Eric Blackmon, 44, was reportedly tethered to the girder by a lifeline when it fell, causing him to become trapped underneath.

Efforts to locate Blackmon were initially unsuccessful. Once located, a crane was used to remove the girder and retrieve his body from the lake Thursday evening. Blackmon and the other nine men involved in the accident were all employed by New Orleans-based Boh Bros. Construction Co.

The causes of the accident were not immediately known. Representatives of Boh Bros. are currently looking into the accident along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; all work on the project has been halted until the investigations have been completed. The new bridge, scheduled for completion in 2011, is intended to replace the old Twin Span bridge, which sustained major structural damage due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and is scheduled to be dismantled.

 

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