Section of old Bonner Bridge collapses into inlet, killing 1
MANTEO, N.C. — One person was killed after a portion of an old bridge on the North Carolina Outer Banks collapsed and fell into the water, authorities said Wednesday.
Capt. Jeff Derringer of the Dare County Sheriff ’s Office said workers were dismantling a section of the old Bonner Bridge around 5 p.m. when that section fell about 110 feet into Oregon Inlet. The accident was first reported by OBX Today.
The man who died was a welder working on the bridge section, said Stephen Lehmann, spokesman with the U.S. Coast Guard.
The victim worked for PCL Constructors, Inc., the contractor for the project.
“PCL is deeply shocked and saddened by the incident that happened at the Bonner Bridge construction site,” said Jeff Westphal, president, PCL Civil Constructors, Inc., in an email statement. “Our sincerest condolences go to everyone affected by this tragedy.”
The company is offering support to the family and other employees, he said.
PCL Constructors also built the new Basnight Bridge that runs next to the old bridge. Pictures taken from traffic cameras showed the road deck had been removed from the steel girders and stacked on top of them.
The section of the bridge that fell was the last to be demolished and was the tallest point of the old span, officials said. The portion of the bridge that remains is being prepared for conversion into a fishing pier that will open to the public this summer.
The Bonner Bridge was completed in 1963, but had been deteriorating for years.
Derringer told the The Virginian-Pilot that the old Bonner Bridge closed the same day the Marc Basnight Bridge opened in 2019. He said a rumor about cars being on the bridge at the time of the accident was false.