On Feb. 28, the Alonsos couple took their typical commute to work. But the couple’s drive took an unforeseen turn as they took the Interstate 10 interchange with 1604 as a wooden beam-like object fell from the new flyover, down to the eastbound lane of 1604.
A similar incident happened this week in the same area. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), around 1 a.m., contractors were removing a temporary beam when it fell and struck an aerial lift with two workers inside.
TxDOT said that "this temporary beam is used during formwork and is different from the large steel beams that permanently support the flyover ramp."
The vehicle contained two workers at the time who sustained a variety of unknown serious injuries and were transported to the hospital.
An emergency safety meeting was held to discuss the incident and review safety protocols. TxDOT says it's conducting a "full investigation."
"We are working with Williams Brothers Construction to ensure the work site follows all safety protocols and guidelines," said TxDOT in a statement.
The company working on the project, Williams Brothers Construction, has yet to make a comment on the incident. It has a history of safety issues, with a workers falling to their deaths in separate incidents in 2015 and 2016 and facing penalties from the Occupational Health Administration totaling $30,000, according to a report from News4sanantonio.com.
In June of 2012, another Williams Brothers employee also fell to his death as he was working on a highway flyover project. Victor Trevino lost his footing and fell 70 feet.
Attorney Tim Maloney has represented the family of one of the workers who died against the construction company and is now representing the Alonsos. Maloney says the shortage of skilled workers combined with the demands of construction likely means we will see more accidents like these.
"It's sad to say that you’ve got to put the responsibility on a driver heading down the highway that they need to look out,” he says. “And the fact that we're at that point that this happened. It's unforgivable, shouldn't have happened.”
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Source: News4sanantonio.com, Local12.com
