Nine workers on a construction operation on the 91 Freeway were injured, three critically, when a bridge deck unexpectedly dropped more than a foot after a jacking operation failed late Friday, October, 9th. The falling bridge deck fell about 16 inches onto wooden support beams, which struck the workers. The construction accident occurred on the 91 at East Grand Boulevard in Corona.
The construction work is part of a three-year, $1.4 billion 91 Freeway widening project. The incident occurred while the construction team was attempting to lower a new section of the eastbound freeway onto the bridge over East Grand Boulevard. It’s unknown what caused the jacking operation to fail. Witnesses described hearing a very loud noise, likening the sound of the crashing bridge deck to that of an earthquake or thunder.
All of the injured workers were taken by ambulance to local hospitals. At the time, at least three of the injured workers were listed in critical condition. As of Saturday, eight workers remained hospitalized. The construction project has been put on hold and the company in charge of the site, Atkinson Walsh, has opened an investigation into what happened.
