Sheriff's Office Investigating Fatal Bridge Collapse
UPDATE, Oct. 27: The deceased victim in yesterday’s bridge collapse was 22-year-old Connor R. Ernst of California, Mo.
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The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the collapse of a bridge under construction at NE. 148th St. and Shady Grove Road outside of Kearney, Missouri. Deputies were initially dispatched to the collapse at 1:44 p.m. today, Oct. 26. The contractors were pouring concrete on the bridge deck. At that time, the bridge collapsed, trapping four people. Three of them were able to extricate themselves from the collapse. Another man died. The ones who were able to extricate themselves from the collapse had minor injuries and were transported to area hospitals.
There were multiple contracting companies on scene at the time of the collapse. There were no county employees on scene. The bridge has been closed since 2016, and construction began in late May 2021. The two-lane bridge was set to open in early 2023. The Clay County Highway Department states there were no safety concerns on the project prior to today. An engineering contractor was on scene today inspecting the bridge before the deck was poured.
The Sheriff’s Office will turn the findings of its investigation over to OSHA.
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