27.08.2015

Fatal underbridge inspection

A man died yesterday in West Hartford, Connecticut as he slewed his platform over the barrier of the bridge.

The truck and the man, William Shook, 43, were left hanging precariously over the edge of the bridge on I-84.

According to a Department of Transportation spokesman, Shook was crushed as he hung from his harness and the team above attempted to retract the boom to within reach. He was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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The lift was left dangling over the edge of the bridge

The routine bridge inspection was being carried out by Virginia based contractor McClain and Company, which experienced another incident on Tuesday, in which workers were stranded over the edge of the Gold Star Bridge in Groton, when the bridge inspection machine malfunctioned.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the incident along with the contractor and the department, which has said that it is suspending the use of the contractor until it finds out exactly what happened. Local reports said that Shook had lifted the boom and slewed it over the side when it tipped, suggesting that the stabilisers may not have been properly deployed.
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It is hard to see if the stabilisers were deployed