6 workers hospitalized after construction accident on I-395 bridge in Miami: Officials

An overnight construction accident on the Interstate 395 bridge in Miami sent six construction workers to the hospital, officials said.

According to Miami Fire Rescue, on Friday night, crews responded to reports of a construction site accident on 1490 NW 3rd Avenue, where several victims were trapped.

The bridge is part of the I-395 project.

When crews arrived, they found that a cap beam, a heavy, horizontal beam that sits on top of a pillar to support the structure, was toppled, which threw those six workers about 30 feet.

After being thrown, one of those workers was trapped, fire rescue said.

Firefighters then began their rescue efforts, and crews used boom trucks and cutting tools to extricate the worker who was trapped.

Out of the six injured, five were taken to the hospital as trauma alerts, and one was in stable condition.

In a statement by The Florida Department of Transportation, the incident was not a “bridge collapse.”

The statement continued by saying the incident, “occurred during a scheduled overnight construction operation which involved construction formwork during a concrete pour within the work zone. It did not involve the bridge structure or any portion of the roadway open to traffic. All work was being conducted within a controlled and closed environment away from live traffic. Following the incident, some roadways were temporarily closed for first responders to gain access to the site, where 6 crew members were transported to the hospital for treatment and evaluation. No fatalities are reported at this time. The scene has since been cleared, and all travel lanes are now open.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said they will begin their investigation on the incident on Sunday and will start by identifying the contractors who were responsible for the site, and they will gather reports from everyone who was involved.

FDOT has since taken over the investigation.

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