Investigations are just now being launched into the causes of two unrelated fatal crane accidents at bridge sites that occurred within 24 hours of each other. Three workers were killed and five injured in Toledo on Feb. 16 and there is one confirmed fatality in Stratford, Conn., at ENR press time on Feb. 17.
The accident in Toledo occurred about 2:30 p.m. at the site of the $220- million Maumee River Bridge, a precast segmental cable-stayed structure with a 1,225-ft main span. As crews from St. Louis-based Fru-Con Construction Corp. were repositioning a 2-million-lb, 315-ft launching truss to prepare for another segment placement, the truss collapsed. Killed were ironworkers Robert Lipinski Jr., 44, of Grand Rapids, Ohio; Mike Moreau, 30, of Lambertville, and Mike Phillips, 42, of South Toledo. All were members of ironworkers'; union Local 55. Five other workers were injured, two seriously. The truss, which was not carrying a segment, fell partly onto Interstate 280, but no motorists were injured, says Joe Rutherford, Ohio Dept. of Transportation spokesman. It is unclear how many workers were on site, but Fru-Con generally has more than 300 workers on the project, he says.