Electrical Worker Killed by Crane Boom on Throgs Neck Bridge

An electrical worker was killed on Tuesday when the boom of a crane fell and crushed him on the Throgs Neck Bridge. The worker, William Barnes, 48, of Port Washington, N.Y. and an employeee of Tri-State Electric Contracting Inc., was operating the hydraulic boom when a cable snapped. The boom pinned him against the truck. Mr. Barnes, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was “crushed by the boom of a boom truck,” said John Chavez, a spokesman for OSHA. They are currently investigating the accident.

“The employee was outside of an aerial lift truck operating the lift controls when he was struck by the lift,” the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the bridge, said in a statement. Barnes was working on a project that involved repairing a ramp to the bridge, which connects the Bronx and Queens. The authorities said that Mr. Barnes had a commercial driver’s license, which was required to operate the truck.

The collapse was the second major accident this summer on the construction site. On July 10, a fire broke out in construction materials on the bridge, causing extensive damage and temporarily closing traffic.

Sources:
Hauser, Christine, and Sewell Chan. "Electrical Worker Killed by Crane Boom on Throgs Neck Bridge." The New York Times. 25 Aug. 2009. Web. 26 Aug. 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/
Strickler, Andrew. "LI worker killed in accident on Throgs Neck Bridge." Newsday.com. 25 Aug. 2009. Web. 26 Aug. 2009.