Inadequate demolition plans cited in incident that killed father of four.
A federal investigation found “inadequate” demolition plans caused January’s fatal Hopple Street bridge collapse — and the company responsible for the incident has been levied a hefty fine and a major citation.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Wednesday fined Kokosing Construction $14,000 for its role in the Interstate 75 overpass incident that killed 35-year-old foreman Brandon Carl.
“This man and father of four died in a preventable workplace incident,” OSHA area director Ken Montgomery said. “His family will never recover from that loss and the loss of livelihood. Kokosing Construction has taken steps to prevent a similar tragedy from happening in the future.”
Independent bridge experts and Kokosing CEO Brian Burgett told The Enquirer in exclusive interviews soon after the incident that it appeared a flawed demolition plan played a key role in the overpass collapse. OSHA’s report officially confirmed that was a major contributing factor to the bridge falling onto southbound Interstate 75 as crews prepared to tear it down the night of Jan. 19.
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