Worker dies, another missing after scaffolding collapses under Loop Parkway drawbridge on Long Island

A construction worker is dead and another was still missing Wednesday night after scaffolding collapsed beneath the Loop Parkway drawbridge in Point Lookout, Nassau County.

The collapse happened around 11:50 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, according to New York State Police. Eight contract workers were on the scaffolding under the span when it gave way.

Two of them fell into Reynolds Channel. State police said one was pulled from the water and taken to a local hospital, where he died. The second had not been found as of the latest updates Wednesday evening, and the search was continuing.

The other six workers did not go into the water. State police said they suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Next-of-kin notification for the dead worker was still pending Wednesday night.

A large rescue effort

The response drew units from eight local fire departments and marine units, plus the Nassau Fire Marshal's Office, Nassau police, state Environmental Conservation police, the U.S. Coast Guard, constables from the towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay, and NYPD Air/Sea Rescue. Police agencies deployed divers right away.

Nassau County Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Michael Mennella said the Point Lookout-Lido Fire Department was dispatched before noon. "Fire units responded quickly and found that scaffolding under the bridge had collapsed and personnel from a bridge construction/repair crew that was working there had fallen into the water," he said.

After nearly four hours, fire department operations ended and the scene went to state police for recovery and salvage, Mennella said.

The parkway was closed in both directions at first. Southbound lanes reopened Wednesday evening, and later reports said northbound lanes were still closed.

The contract behind the work

The Loop Parkway is a 2.65-mile road linking the Meadowbrook State Parkway to Long Beach and the barrier island. The bridge was built in 1934 and has needed repeated maintenance over the decades.

Records show work on this bridge and two others on the Meadowbrook State Parkway has been underway since September under a $15.9 million state Department of Transportation contract. The department describes the work as maintenance to preserve the bridges' reliability and integrity. It includes work on bridge decks, replacement of bridge joints, new railings and added navigation lighting for boat traffic.

State officials said the workers involved Wednesday are employed by Champion Painting, which was hired to repaint and repair steel at four bridges, including the Loop Parkway drawbridge.

That is taxpayer money, and the public will want to know how a crew working under a state-funded contract ended up in the water.

What investigators will look at

Mennella said the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate because this was a workplace accident. State police are handling the recovery.

No one has said what caused the scaffolding to fail. State officials have not released details on how it was built or inspected, or on the load it was carrying. No charges or citations have been announced, and nothing so far attributes fault to the contractor, the state or anyone else.

The state Department of Transportation said it is gathering information from its staff and from Champion Painting to assist in the investigation. The Town of Hempstead, where the bridge sits, referred questions to state police.

What comes next

The missing worker is the immediate concern. The search in Reynolds Channel was still going Wednesday evening, with the Coast Guard, including crews from Station Jones Beach and Air Station Cape Cod, supporting local agencies.

After that, OSHA's inquiry will look into how the scaffolding was assembled and why it collapsed. Its findings, along with the identity of the dead worker once family has been notified, are the next things to come out.