MENDENHALL, Miss. (AP) — A construction company said Thursday that it is cooperating with local authorities’ investigation of how a bridge in rural Mississippi collapsed while some of its employees were preparing the structure for demolition.
Three employees of T.L. Wallace Construction were killed and four were injured Wednesday when the bridge collapsed over the Strong River in central Mississippi’s Simpson County, Sheriff Paul Mullins said.
The construction company, based in Columbia, Mississippi, said in a statement that the three workers who died were “cherished members of our community and our team.”
One of the injured workers was treated at the scene Wednesday and the other three remained hospitalized in critical condition Thursday, according to Mullins.
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The bridge was on state Route 149 in Simpson County, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of the state capital, Jackson. It had been closed to traffic since Sept. 18 as part of a bridge replacement project, the Mississippi Department of Transportation said.
The workers killed were Charles Badger, whose age was not immediately available; Charles Ingleharte, 22; and Kevin Malone, 62, Simpson County Coroner Terry Tutor said Thursday. Ingleharte lived in Foxworth and Badger and Malone lived in Hattiesburg, according to the company.
“At this time, we ask for prayers and support for the families and loved ones of the deceased,” the company said. “Our hearts go out to them during this incredibly difficult time. T.L. Wallace Construction, Inc., is committed to providing assistance to the families as they navigate through this unimaginable loss.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on social media late Wednesday that the Federal Highway Administration was “engaging state officials concerning” the “premature collapse during demolition of a bridge on State Route 149 in Mississippi.”
At least three people have died and four have been critically injured after a Mississippi bridge, in the process of being demolished, collapsed Wednesday afternoon while work was being conducted at the site. The bridge on
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