DRESBACH, Minnesota (WXOW) – More details on the I-90 bridge construction site accident near the Dresbach rest area. Winona County Sheriff Chief Deputy Ron Ganrude said, Ames construction worker, Logan Scott Goodell, 19, fell into a cofferdam while removing framework set up to pour concrete. A witness working with Goodell, told a Winona County Deputy, that Goodell stepped backward causing him to fall 42 feet.
A cofferdam is a temporary structure built to hold back water while bridge pilings are constructed.
According to the Winona County Sheriff's Department accident report, a protective handrail on the cofferdam had been removed in order to remove the concrete framework. The report also states that Goodell was wearing a safety harness, but it was not being used properly.
Goodell landed on the cement bottom of the cofferdam and was trapped. He had to be extricated by police and fire crews from Campbell and La Crescent. Ames Constructions used their crane to lift Goodell out of the cofferdam once he'd been placed into a rescue basket.
An Ames tugboat was then used to transport him from the dam to the shore -- where he was loaded into an ambulance and taken to Gundersen Health System in La Crosse. His condition is unknown at this time.
The Winona County Sheriff's Department is investigation the accident along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Mark Anderson, MnDOT's project manager for the I-90 bridge construction, said his organization is trying to determine if it will perform a safety investigation as well.
Anderson said work at the site of the accident, the cofferdam at "pier two," is currently on hold. Anderson added traffic on the bridge has not been affected by the accident.
MnDOT is currently in the process of constructing a new bridge over the Mississippi River, near Dresbach, to replace the current one, which Anderson said is outdated.
The project is expected to be completed in 2016.
