TIM ISBELL/SUN HERALD Construction materials are bent over at the site of Jourdan River Steamer on Misissippi 603 in Hancock County. A contractor was killed Tuesday morning when a floor collapsed, crushing him.
By JAMES SKRMETTA
jskrmetta@sunherald.com Twitter: Jskrmetta
September 8, 2015
KILN, MISSISSIPPI
Officials have identified the construction worker who was killed in an accident Tuesday morning at the old Jourdan River Steamer restaurant property on Mississippi 603.
Coroner Jim Faulk said Gary Berthelot, 54, was killed when a section of flooring collapsed about 7:30 a.m.
"Berthelot was standing underneath as the other workers were pouring the concrete," he said.
Hancock County Chief Deputy Don Bass said workers tried to rescue Berthelot but his injuries from the initial collapse were too severe.
"They tried to dig him out of the rubble as fast as they could," Bass said. "By the time they got him out, he was already deceased."
Officials said workers were pouring concrete on a raised deck that would overlook 5,300 square feet of a dining area.
Berthelot was the president of Berthelot Design/Construction Inc., which has been overseeing the rebuilding of the restaurant.
The restaurant had been closed since 2012, when it received severe structural damage during Hurricane Isaac. The original building had subsequently been razed to make way for construction of a new restaurant, raised on piers to avoid the Jourdan River's frequent flooding.
SunHerald.com will update this story as more information becomes available.
Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2015/09/08/6403502_contractor-killed-in-construction.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
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Jourdan River Steamer building back in Hancock County
Posted: Jun 26, 2015
By Al Showers
Fifty wooden pilings driven into the ground at the site of the old Jourdan River Steamer restaurant have created quite the buzz around Hancock County. (Photo source: WLOX)
Restaurant owner Hank Plauche' confirmed the rumors are true, and it's just a matter of time before the doors reopen. (Photo source: WLOX) KILN, MS (WLOX) -
Fifty wooden pilings driven into the ground have created a lot of talk around Hancock County. That's because the construction activity is taking place on the Highway 603 property that was once home to the Jourdan River Steamer restaurant. The popular steak and seafood restaurant closed after Hurricane Isaac in 2012, and loyal customers have missed it ever since.
"A lot of people have had their birthday parties here and wedding parties. It's just been the place folks have events in Hancock County. If you have a treat or something special, an anniversary, you come here," said Thomas Wood, who lives in Diamondhead.
Wood said when he heard the buzz about a possible re-opening, he drove over to see it with his own eyes. He remembered eating at the restaurant at least once a week before it closed.
"Their dishes are really good. They use a lot of crab," Wood said. "They're just perfectionists. They've been imitated all over the county - the steamer this, the steamer that - none of them even come close."
Restaurant owner Hank Plauche' confirmed the rumors are true, and it's just a matter of time before the doors reopen.
"The old Jourdan River Steamer, every time we'd get a good blow in here, we'd get flooded out. We were a repetitive loss. So it took a long tough road to get here," Plauche' said.
The new restaurant will be 7,000 square feet, with 5,300 square feet of space available below the raised structure.
"With stairs and decks on there, it's going to be good. It's going to be nice. We're going to try to bring back some of the original interior and design of it to make it feel like home for the regulars that were in there."
And that's just what their faithful customers wanted to hear.
"People come from all over. I'm waiting. I'm anxious," said Hancock County resident Joy Patin.
Plauche' hopes to have the steamer opened late this year or early 2016.