A crane operator working in the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project construction zone has died from injuries suffered at the work site, according to Cincinnati police. The worker was operating a boom lift crane designed to lift people and tools when the crane shifted and fell Saturday morning in downtown Cincinnati, leaving him with life-threatening injuries that proved fatal hours later.
Officers were called downtown to the area of Third Street and Pete Rose Way around 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 17 for what was reported as a workplace accident, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The fall caused life-threatening injuries, and the man died several hours later at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, the paper reported. The worker's identity had not been released as of the Enquirer's report.
A separate report from WLWT likewise described the victim only as a man who has not been identified. The Cincinnati Police Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are now investigating the incident, per the same Enquirer account.
A Massive Project Already Under Scrutiny
The fatal fall comes amid an ambitious, years-long construction effort along the Ohio River. The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project has been described as a roughly $4 billion effort, according to WorkBoat, while a separate report from Fox19 put the project's value at $4.05 billion — the two outlets differ slightly on the figure. The project is meant to add interstate lanes, improve access, build a new companion bridge and convert the existing span for local traffic, Fox19 reported.
The stakes for the corridor are considerable. More than $1 billion in freight moves through the I-71/I-75 corridor every day, according to the governor's office as cited by Fox19. Officials have said the new Brent Spence Companion Bridge is expected to open in 2031. The entire project is expected to wrap up in 2033.
Not the First Close Call Near the Bridge
Saturday's fatal accident was not the first safety incident tied to crane work near the Brent Spence Bridge this year. In September, a barge-mounted crane became entangled with a power line near the bridge, triggering a closure of the Ohio River between mile markers 471 and 472, WorkBoat reported. That incident resulted in no reported injuries, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The Brent Spence Bridge remained open to vehicle traffic after the September incident, and no streets were closed, according to Fox19's coverage at the time. Fox19 also reported that the September episode did not affect the construction timeline for the Brent Spence Bridge Project.
Crane Work Carries Known Risks
Fatal crane accidents are a persistent hazard in construction nationally. Federal data covering 2011 to 2017 found that 31 percent of worker deaths involving cranes occurred among workers in construction and extraction occupations, and that the worker was operating the crane at the time of the fatal injury in 22 percent of cases, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
No further details about the cause of Saturday's accident, the worker's identity or the status of the ongoing police and OSHA investigation have been released.
