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Cincinnati Overpass Collapses: Construction Worker Killed, One Driver Injured

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 02:56 PST, Jan 20, 2015

A Cincinnati overpass collapsed and took the life of one construction worker and injured one driver. The name of the Ohio man killed when the Interstate 75 Camp Washington offramp collapsed on Monday has not yet been released. The deceased reportedly leaves behind a fiancée and four children.

The Cincinnati overpass was undergoing demotion when it collapsed around 10:30 p.m. Police and firefighters rushed to the scene and were ultimately able to remove the body of the construction worker around 3 a.m. this morning. Airbags were used to lift “tons of concrete” off of the body.

Crystal Hargett told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the best friend of her husband Billy was killed in the Cincinnati overpass collapse. Hargett added that her husband and his friend typically worked the day shift on the construction crew, but the demolition work on the Camp Washington off-ramp occurring this week required night shift crews.

A semi truck driver crashed into the concrete debris as the 100 tons of overpass material hit the highway below. The tractor trailer driver was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center with minor injuries.

“The big rig driver is very lucky. In a matter of seconds his fate would probably have been very different,” Cincinnati Police Chief Jeff Blackwell said.

The Ohio law enforcement official also noted that construction crews were removing the old bridge when something apparently went “terribly wrong.”

Emergency responders were still searching beneath the concrete debris for more potential victims of the Cincinnati overpass collapse this morning. The Interstate 75 southbound lane has been ordered “closed indefinitely” during the Camp Washington off-ramp cleanup. Eastbound I-74 at Beekman Street is also closed due to the overpass collapse.

“I heard, like, a real big boom. I kinda knew right then and there that maybe something had collapsed or fallen,” nearby Cincinnati resident Andre Brewster said. Investigators are working to determine the unnamed construction worker’s position at the time of the Camp Washington off-ramp collapse. Police officer have stated that the collapse is “likely” related to roadway construction work, but an official cause may take several days to a week to determine.

What do you think caused the Cincinnati overpass collapse?

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