MINNETONKA, Minn. -- A construction worker was killed Monday afternoon in Minnetonka when a large steel pipe rolled off a semitrailer, crushing the Missouri man.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the workman was helping to unload the pipes from the trailer when a pipe came lose shortly after 2:30 p.m.
The workman was pronounced dead at the scene, the southbound U.S. 169 ramp to Londonderry Road.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is working in the area to replace the Nine Mile Creek Bridge between Bren Road and Seventh Street.
The State Patrol identified the victim as David Earl Hyde, 38, of Fulton, Mo. KARE-TV reported that Hyde was the semi’s driver and that the pipe rolled off the trailer after he unstrapped the load.
Ames Construction of Burnsville is the contractor on the U.S. 169 project.
The fatality is under investigation by state workplace safety officials.
Ames Construction said the pipe that fell on the worker weighed 2,500 to 2,600 pounds.
Pipe falls off truck, kills worker along Highway 169
Highway 169 between Bren Road and 7th Street is closed for a 10-month project to replace the Nine Mile Creek bridge. MNDOT started the construction during the winter because it is easier to take out the bridge when the swamp is frozen.
During construction, Highway 169 will be reduced to only one lane southbound from Excelsior Boulevard to 7th Street and northbound from Highway 62 to Bren Road. The entrance ramp from westbound Interstate 394 to southbound Highway 169 will also be closed until October.