Officials say it was a 44-year-old Manchester, N.H., man who died yesterday morning after falling out of an aerial work platform and onto a barge at the I-495 replacement bridge project.
A second worker—a 46-year-old man—was injured after falling from the same platform, known as a telescopic boom. He was taken to Lahey Burlington with “serious injuries.” Both worked for a subcontractor of SPS Construction. The name of the deceased man has not yet been released by the Essex County District Attorney’s office, pending complete family notification. Carrie Kimball, spokeswoman for Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, said the name of the injured man will not be released. Earlier, she said the man was med-flighted to Boston, via ambulance to Lawrence General, with serious injuries.
Both the Essex State Police Detective Unit and the Haverhill Police ruled out foul play during their investigations of the accident scene, off Bank Road in Haverhill. The two workers fell 40 to 50 feet and landed on the Merrimack River barge.
As of news deadline, investigators had not yet determined whether the accident was caused by mechanical or operator error. OSHA will continue to investigate.
A spokesperson with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said the state agency is “cooperating fully” with OSHA and other authorities in determining what caused the tragedy.
It was the first reported fatality on the $110 million bridge replacement project in Haverhill between exits 48 and 49.