RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - A construction worker died from a fall Sunday after a railroad bridge he was cutting collapsed and pulled him down to a freeway, authorities said.
Okesene Faasalele, 59, of Long Beach was attached to the bridge over state Route 91 by a harness and cutting part of the structure in half when it buckled, California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Terri Kasinga said.
“He rode the bridge down,” Kasinga told the Riverside Press-Enterprise. “Before it hit the ground, it twisted and catapulted him into the pavement.”
The worker was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The accident closed freeway lanes for hours on Sunday.
The Pachappa Railroad Overcrossing was being demolished as part of a $232 million freeway-widening project.
The transportation department, the California Highway Patrol and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health were investigation the cause of the accident.
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Information from: The Press-Enterprise, https://www.pe.com
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