MENDENHALL, Miss. — Three people were killed and four were seriously injured Wednesday when a bridge in Mississippi that was closed nearly a month ago collapsed while a work crew was prepping it for demolition, authorities said.
The bridge over the Strong River on State Route 149 in Simpson County, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Jackson, had been closed to traffic since Sept. 18 as part of a bridge replacement project, the Mississippi Department of Transportation said in a news release.
Gov. Tate Reeves said in a post on social media late Wednesday that first responders from the county and “other state assets have been on the scene at the tragedy” where they’d confirmed at least three fatalities and multiple injuries.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a social media post late Wednesday that the Federal Highway Administration was “engaging state officials concerning” the “premature collapse during demolition of a bridge on State Route 149 in Mississippi.”
A construction company said Thursday that it is cooperating with local authorities’ investigation of how a bridge in rural Mississippi collapsed while some of its employees were preparing the structure for demolition.
Three employees of T.L. Wallace Construction were killed and four were injured Wednesday when the bridge collapsed over the Strong River in central Mississippi’s Simpson County, Sheriff Paul Mullins said.
The construction company, based in Columbia, Mississippi, said in a statement that the three workers who died were “cherished members of our community and our team.”
One of the injured workers was treated at the scene Wednesday and the other three remained hospitalized in critical condition Thursday, according Mullins.
The bridge was on state Route 149 in Simpson County, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of the state capital, Jackson. It had been closed to traffic since Sept. 18 as part of a bridge replacement project, the Mississippi Department of Transportation said.
The workers killed were Charles Badger, whose age was not immediately available; Charles Ingleharte, 22; and Kevin Malone, 62, Simpson County Coroner Terry Tutor said Thursday. Ingleharte lived in Foxworth and Badger and Malone lived in Hattiesburg, according to the company.
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. The Trucker Media Group is subscriber of The Associated Press has been granted the license to use this content on TheTrucker.com and The Trucker newspaper in accordance with its Content License Agreement with The Associated Press.
