1 Worker Dead, 3 Injured After Under-construction Bridge in Missouri Collapses

One person died and at least three suffered injuries after an under-construction bridge collapsed in Kearney, Missouri.

The incident occurred at 148th Street and Shady Grove Road, about 30 miles northeast of Kansas City, at 1:44 p.m. local time, Wednesday. The bridge collapsed when workers were pouring concrete on the bridge deck, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Four people were trapped in the rubble after the structure collapsed, Sarah Boyd, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, said, as per KMBC. Three people were able to free themselves from the debris sustaining minor injuries and were taken to hospitals.

“The ones who were able to extricate themselves from the collapse had minor injuries and were transported to area hospitals,” Clay County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

After rescue efforts began, one person was found dead under the wreckage, Clay County Western Commissioner Jon Carpenter told ABC News. First responders couldn’t reach him for at least an hour because they had to first shore up the surrounding area. By the time they reached the worker, he had died, KCTV5 reported.

The identity of the deceased was not released by the authorities.

“Clay County wishes to express its deepest condolences to Lehman Construction Company and the families of the workers involved following this afternoon’s bridge collapse at Northeast 148th Street,” the county said in a statement.

“This morning when I left I noticed there were a lot of vehicles down there so I figured they were pouring concrete whatever they were doing a big job today,” Stacey Milligan, a local resident in the area, told Fox4KC.

Crews were working on a total bridge replacement when the incident took place. The Clay County Highway Department stated there were no safety concerns on the project prior to the collapse. An engineering contractor inspected the bridge before the concrete was poured on the deck.

“There were multiple contracting companies on the scene at the time of the collapse and no county employees,” authorities added.

The bridge had been closed since 2016 and the Clay County government reportedly approved the reconstruction of a paved two-lane bridge in May 2021. It was scheduled to reopen in early 2023