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Construction worker on Highway 520 project dies in site accident

Published 6:02 am Thursday, June 3, 2021

In this April 6, 2020 photo, a bus drives past a roadwork construction project in Seattle where ramps off of the Highway 520 floating bridge meet Montlake Blvd. that has been shut down due to concern over the spread of the coronavirus. The $2 trillion federal stimulus package enacted in March included billions of dollars for public transit systems, publicly owned commercial airports and Amtrak passenger train service, but earmarked nothing for state highways and bridges. Many of those projects across the country have been put on hold because of a sharp drop in fuel taxes, tolls and user fees since the coronarvirus-related shutdowns suspended much of the U.S. economy. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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In this April 6, 2020 photo, a bus drives past a roadwork construction project in Seattle where ramps off of the Highway 520 floating bridge meet Montlake Blvd. that has been shut down due to concern over the spread of the coronavirus. The $2 trillion federal stimulus package enacted in March included billions of dollars for public transit systems, publicly owned commercial airports and Amtrak passenger train service, but earmarked nothing for state highways and bridges. Many of those projects across the country have been put on hold because of a sharp drop in fuel taxes, tolls and user fees since the coronarvirus-related shutdowns suspended much of the U.S. economy. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
This April 2020 photo shows the roadwork construction project in Seattle where ramps off of the Highway 520 floating bridge meet Montlake Blvd. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file)

Associated Press

SEATTLE — A construction worker at the State Route 520 Montlake Project was killed Wednesday when he was struck in the chest by an 11,000 pound steel beam and was pinned between the pillar and a flatbed trailer that was carrying it.

The 45-year-old victim, whose identity was pending, died while being transported to a hospital for medical care, a spokesperson for the Seattle Fire Department said. The accident occurred shortly after 5 p.m., KOMO-TV reported.

Crews were able to free the man from between the beam and the flatbed and began CPR before paramedics arrived at the scene, the spokesperson said.

The worker was part of the crew assigned to the $455 million project to reconstruct SR-520, which aims to bring major changes to the Montlake interchange. The project is expected to be completed between 2023 and 2024.

It was not immediately clear if work at the site would be halted or if investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had been notified.

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