PITTSBURGH — A construction worker is dead in Pennsylvania after an 18-wheeler struck his bucket truck on the morning of Friday, Oct. 7.
Crews were conducting preservation work on both the Boulevard of the Allies and Route 885 mainline bridges in Pittsburgh at the time of the accident.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Derek Cronk, 41, of Bridgeport, Ohio, was in a bucket truck, which was working the left lane of Interstate 376 in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of South Oakland — bucket was extended over the right lane.
The tractor-trailer hit the bottom of the bucket around 3 a.m., causing it to spin on its axis. Cronk was thrown from the bucket and fell over the overpass.
Cronk was later taken to a local hospital, where he died.
Pennsylvania State Police are reviewing whether the site had proper signage and lighting at the time of the accident. The area is an active construction site and has previously used the proper safety tools.
Cronk was working on a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) project but was not employed by PennDOT.
The interstate reopened about 7:15 a.m., according to PennDOT.
The investigation is ongoing.
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I would be interested in the detailed traffic control plan (TCP) for each phase/task of the project.
Robert Burch, CHST