INVESTIGATION CONTINUES INTO THE DEADLY OHIO OVERPASS ACCIDENT
CINCINNATI (AP) — Part of a Cincinnati interstate was open again to traffic Wednesday as an investigation continued into the deadly overpass accident that killed a worker and injured a truck driver.
The
removal of tons of debris from Interstate 75 began Tuesday afternoon and was
completed by nighttime, allowing the closed southbound lanes to reopen to
traffic. The state Department of Transportation says minor repairs were made.
Transportation
officials said heavy equipment was being used to separate a concrete deck from
structural steel when the span fell Monday night.
Police
say casualties could have been much higher had the late-night collapse happened
at a busy time on the interstate, which carries more than 178,000 vehicles a
day through the area five miles north of the Ohio River.
Authorities
identified the worker who was killed as Brandon William Carl, of Augusta,
Kentucky. The Hamilton County coroner's office will do an autopsy to determine
the cause of his death. Fire officials said his body was recovered from rubble
with the help of air bags and special equipment early Tuesday morning, about
four hours after the accident.
Carl
was a good, honest, hardworking man who took care of his children, his father,
Charles Carl, told WCPO-TV.
The
tractor-trailer driver, Eric J. Meyers, of Howell, Michigan, slammed into the
overpass as the debris landed. He was taken to a hospital with what were
described as minor injuries.
Westerville-based
Kokosing Construction was doing the demolition under a nearly $91 million
contract for a three-year project meant to improve traffic capacity and safety
in a busy stretch of I-75. The company had a good safety track record, federal
regulators said.