Kaptur seeks more help for crane-collapse probe

7/1/2005

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) has added the Federal Highway Administration to a list of Washington agencies she hopes will help with the investigation of last year s fatal crane collapse at the I-280 Maumee River Crossing project site.

In a letter dated Wednesday, Miss Kaptur asked Federal Highway Administrator Mary Peters for any engineering and other skilled professional assistance her agency might be able to provide to the ongoing inquiry being conducted by the Lucas County Prosecutor s Office.

Last week, Miss Kaptur made a similar request of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Four construction workers were killed and four others were hurt when a crane assembling spans for the bridge collapsed on Feb. 16, 2004.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration subsequently fined the contractor, Fru-Con Construction, of Ballwin, Mo., $280,000 for workplace safety violations.

County officials are seeking to determine if anyone should be held criminally responsible for the accident.