Two Construction Worker Deaths Confirmed on Philadelphia Bridge
The National Transportation Safety Board has confirmed the deaths of two construction workers on Oct. 14 on the Ben Franklin Bridge between New Jersey and Pennsylvania near Philadelphia when they were struck during night work by a Port Authority Transit Corp (PATCO) train traveling on tracks that were supposed to be shut down as part of a planned outage.
The workers were confirmed as employees of JPC Group Inc., a Blackwood, N.J.-based subcontractor to contractor Skanska Koch, Carteret, N.J., on a construction project for the Delaware River Port Authority on the bridge, which carries trains and road traffic.
Their identities and job roles were not released by investigating agencies nor by the companies in response to multiple ENR queries.
The workers who died are Victor R. Martins and Donato G. Fiocca, said James Maravelias, president of the Delaware AFL-CIO and of the state building and construction trades council, who announced the deaths in a Facebook page post that identified them as members of Cement Masons and Plasterers union Local No. 592 in Philadelphia, which he said has set up a Gofundme account for their families.
Fiocca was described as a 25-year union member and Martins as an eight-year member.
According to online obituaries, Martins was age 55 and Fiocca was 53.
Jennifer Gabris, an NTSB spokesperson, said the accident occurred at about 9:21 pm when the workers "were struck and killed by a westbound PATCO train on track 2. There was a planned outage on track 2 for contract concrete work. Preliminary information indicates that "at the time of the accident, track 2 had not been taken out of service when the [workers] entered the bridge in a close clearance area,” she said.
Gabris said the train that struck the workers “was traveling at a recorded speed of 33 mph.” The maximum authorized speed for the track is 40 mph, she said, adding that at the time of the accident, there were 68 passengers aboard. NTSB will publish a preliminary report in about 45 days, Gabris said.
Port Authority spokesman Mike Williams said that agency's investigation is continuing
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration also confirmed it is investigating the double fatality, said Lenore Fortson, regional director of public affairs. “No additional information is available at this time,” she said.
In a statement, Skanska spokeswoman Maritza Ferreira confirmed the accident "involving two subcontractor workers who were fatally struck by a PATCO train," and said the firm is "also conducting an internal investigation. We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident."
The workers were involved in a long-term bridge rehabilitation project announced in March 2020 and due to continue through December 2024, described by the port authority as a $216.9-million project.
Since early September, milling and paving work is being done from 7 p.m. Fridays through 7 p.m. Sundays. That work is described as continuing through Nov. 6, according to the authority.
