A construction worker was killed and two others were hospitalized on September 22, 2026, after a crane malfunctioned during bridge work on Interstate 79 near Smithtown, West Virginia. According to the West Virginia State Police, troopers responded around 9:45 a.m. to the bridge carrying Interstate 79 over White Day Creek Road in southern Monongalia County.
Investigators said a heavy crane malfunctioned while workers were performing construction activities on the bridge. The malfunction caused concrete barriers to strike three workers and knock them from the bridge. One worker died at the scene, while the other two were transported to a hospital for treatment.
Authorities had not yet released additional information explaining what failed on the crane, how the concrete barriers moved, or what fall-protection systems were in use when the workers were knocked from the bridge. Those issues should become central to the investigation because this incident appears to involve two separate but connected hazards: uncontrolled movement of heavy construction materials and workers being exposed to a fall from an elevated bridge deck.
A Crane Malfunction During Barrier Work Demands a Detailed Equipment Investigation
Heavy lifting operations require the crane, rigging, load-control equipment, and work area to function as a coordinated system. When a crane malfunctions while moving concrete barriers, the resulting forces can endanger everyone working within the crane’s operating radius. Concrete barriers are extremely heavy, and even limited uncontrolled movement can be enough to strike a worker, knock someone off balance, or create a secondary fall hazard.
The reported facts make construction equipment hazards a central issue rather than a generic construction-safety concern. Investigators should determine precisely what part of the crane operation failed. That includes the crane’s hoisting system, brakes, controls, hydraulic components, wire rope, rigging, lifting attachments, and any devices used to stabilize or guide the concrete barriers. Maintenance and inspection records should also be examined for prior defects, repairs, warning signs, or recurring problems.
A proper crane investigation should not stop with the statement that the equipment “malfunctioned.” Investigators should be able to identify the mechanical or operational sequence that caused the barriers to move unexpectedly. If the crane lost control of the load, investigators should determine whether the cause was mechanical failure, improper rigging, an overloaded component, operator input, inadequate inspection, or some combination of factors.
Crane safety depends on preventing workers from being placed where a suspended or moving load can strike them. The positioning of the three workers relative to the concrete barriers should therefore be documented carefully. Investigators should determine whether they were required to work inside the potential swing or travel path of the load and whether the lift plan accounted for what would happen if the crane or rigging failed.
The Bridge Work Created a Serious Fall Hazard
The reported crane failure became fatal because the workers were performing the operation on an elevated bridge. Once the concrete barriers struck them, the workers were knocked from the structure.
The importance of fall protection is especially significant when construction workers are exposed to an unprotected edge while also working around heavy equipment and moving materials. Fall protection should account not only for a worker accidentally stepping or slipping off an edge, but also for foreseeable events that can unexpectedly push or knock a worker toward that edge.
Investigators should determine what systems were in place at the specific location where the workers were struck. Depending on the work being performed, those measures could include guardrails, personal fall-arrest systems, restraint systems, temporary barriers, designated work zones, or other protective measures. The inquiry should also address whether the concrete barriers themselves had been serving as edge protection and whether their movement temporarily exposed the workers to an open edge.
This accident illustrates why fall hazards are not limited to slips or missteps. On an active construction project, a worker can be knocked from elevation by equipment, materials, or another unexpected force. Here, the crane malfunction and the fall exposure appear to have combined into a single catastrophic event.
The fact that all three workers were reportedly knocked from the bridge also raises questions about whether the crew was positioned too close together within the same hazard zone. A construction accident lawyer investigating the incident should examine the work plan, crew assignments, and whether the employer or controlling contractor had established a safe exclusion area around the crane operation.
The Investigation Should Focus on the Entire Construction Operation
A fatal crane accident is rarely understood by examining only the crane operator. Large bridge projects typically involve multiple employers, subcontractors, equipment owners, supervisors, and safety personnel, each with different responsibilities.
The investigation should identify who owned the crane, who maintained it, who employed the operator, who planned the lift, who supervised the bridge crew, and who controlled the work area. Daily crane inspections, maintenance records, lift plans, job hazard analyses, toolbox talks, operator certifications, rigging records, and site safety policies should all be reviewed.
A crane accident lawyer should also determine whether the crane had experienced earlier mechanical problems and whether any component had recently been repaired or replaced. If the malfunction involved a part that failed unexpectedly, the manufacturer or maintenance provider may become relevant. If the equipment was being operated outside its intended limits or without adequate inspection, responsibility may rest elsewhere.
The worksite itself should be documented before conditions change. Bridge construction moves quickly, and barriers, equipment, rigging, and temporary fall-protection systems may be repositioned soon after an incident. Photographs, video, drone imagery, measurements, and equipment inspections can preserve important evidence that would otherwise disappear as the project resumes.
Fatal Construction Accidents Can Involve Claims Beyond Workers’ Compensation
When a worker is killed on a construction project, the legal analysis often depends on which company employed the worker and which companies controlled the equipment or work that caused the accident.
Workers’ compensation benefits may apply through the worker’s direct employer, but a separate claim may exist against another contractor, crane owner, equipment company, maintenance provider, or other responsible third party. Third-party liability can be especially important on large construction projects where several companies participate in the same operation.
The investigation should therefore determine contractual responsibilities as well as physical control of the job. Which company provided the crane? Who employed the operator? Who selected the rigging method? Who supervised the workers handling the concrete barriers? Who was responsible for fall protection on the bridge? Those questions can determine whether a family has legal claims beyond the benefits available through the worker’s employer.
When negligence by another company contributes to a fatal construction accident, surviving family members may also have a wrongful death claim. Potential damages can include lost financial support and services, mental anguish, and loss of companionship. Depending on the circumstances, the estate may also have a separate survival claim.
A thorough investigation should begin before the crane is repaired, the barriers are moved, or the bridge work resumes. Once the scene changes, it can become much harder to determine whether this fatal accident resulted from defective equipment, inadequate planning, unsafe worker positioning, deficient fall protection, or failures involving several parties.
Speak With a Construction Accident Lawyer After a Fatal Crane Accident
Spagnoletti Law Firm represents workers and families affected by fatal crane accidents, bridge construction incidents, heavy-equipment failures, falls from elevation, and other serious construction accidents. When a crane malfunction causes heavy materials to strike workers and knock them from a bridge, the investigation should examine the crane and rigging, equipment maintenance, lift planning, worker positioning, fall-protection systems, contractor responsibilities, and the physical condition of the worksite.
A construction accident lawyer can help preserve the crane and rigging, obtain inspection and maintenance records, secure the lift plan and safety documentation, identify every company involved in the operation, and determine whether third-party claims may be available in addition to workers’ compensation benefits.
We offer a free consultation, and we handle serious construction accident and wrongful death cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no upfront attorney’s fees and we are paid only if we recover compensation for you.
If you or a loved one has been impacted by a construction accident, call Spagnoletti Law Firm at 713-804-9306 or contact us online.