Federal officials investigating Georgia bridge collapse that killed father of 9 kids
Federal officials are investigating the cause of a bridge collapse during demolition that sent three workers tumbling into Georgia’s Yellow River, killing one of them and critically injuring the other two.
Demario Battle, a 33-year-old father of nine, was killed in the accident, officials said. He had only recently taken a job with the concrete-cutting company working on the bridge, his cousin Kiwii Ashmeade told WSB-TV. The children range in age from 3 to 15, his aunt Barbara Dais told WXIA-TV.
Tragedy struck at about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, when subcontractors B & D Concrete Cutting Inc., working for Georgia Bridge and Concrete, were just sawing into the first of four bridge spans for a demolition project, the Georgia Department of Transportation said.
Suddenly, a 70-foot section collapsed as Georgia Bridge and Concrete employee Michael Garrett was operating a company-owned excavator on the bridge, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, citing an incident report. Battle and co-worker Robert Mullins were nearby, loading concrete saws into a company truck.
The collapse caused “sadly one loss of life and two others with serious injuries,” the Georgia DOT said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.
Garrett and Mullins were the other two injured, the Journal-Constitution reported. They were flown to separate hospitals and are in critical condition.
Witnesses recounted seeing trucks and other vehicles fall into the river. Battle may have been struck by a truck or a concrete saw that landed on him after he fell, according to reports. Some 2½ hours after the accident, authorities reported his demise.
“I heard a big boom, and I went out there and I looked and saw the whole thing fall down -- trucks and everything,” witness William Coleman told WSB.
The bridge work started Monday and was initially slated to close the span for nine months, The Associated Press said. It wasn’t clear how the accident would affect the construction timeline.
With News Wire Services
