Overview
- A section of scaffolding gave way during repairs on the Loop Parkway drawbridge around 11:50 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, sending two workers into Reynolds Channel and injuring six others.
- Rescuers pulled one worker from the water who later died at a hospital, and teams from local fire departments, the U.S. Coast Guard, NYPD Air/Sea Rescue and state police continued searching for the second unaccounted-for worker.
- Emergency crews ended active rescue operations after about four hours and turned the scene over to state police for recovery and salvage while traffic lanes were reopened by evening.
- The state Department of Transportation confirmed the work is part of a $15.9 million contract begun in September but has not identified the private contractor responsible for the scaffolding and crew.
- The 1934 drawbridge opens frequently for marine traffic and has a history of repairs, so the collapse raises questions about project oversight, scaffold safety and possible citations that OSHA could issue to the contractor or subcontractors.