January 16, 2008

Worker dies on Biggs Bridge project
Excavator falls into river

A worker died Tuesday morning on the Biggs Bridge deck replacement project when a large excavator tipped over and went off the bridge deck into the Columbia River, taking the operator with it.

The worker, whose name has not yet been released by the Klickitat County coroner, was rescued from the water, but later died of his injuries at Klickitat Valley Hospital.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, the rest of his crew, and the entire Mowat organization,” said Paula Hammond, Washington transportation secretary.

Work has ceased on the bridge project, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. Construction will not resume until Washington State Labor and Industries concludes its routine investigation of the work zone accident.

The accident happened just before 8:30 a.m., according to Sylvia Ross, a spokeswoman for transportation.

“The company is actively initiating a clean-up effort,” Ross said.

Mowat Construction Company is working in coordination with transportation and the Department of Ecology to begin the clean up of the site. Department of Ecology dispatched its spill responders unit and efforts to extract the fallen equipment have been initiated by the contractor.

The construction company has also hired a spill responder contractor from Yakima to oversee the situation, Ross said, noting that fuel and oil are likely to have spilled into the river.

The Biggs Bridge closed to all traffic Jan. 2 for the deck replacement project. It will remain closed during the suspension of work.

For information regarding the bridge project, please visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/US97/BiggsBridge/.

— Kathy Gray