Workers dive into lake as bridge slips at casino
HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) - July 22, 2008 After the workers fell, nine other workers jumped into the water
to help them, including two men who were briefly trapped inside the
fallen walkway, said Kevin Margraf, chief fire inspector for the
Hammond Fire Department.
One of the workers was taken to a hospital complaining of
shoulder pain and was later released, and several of the 15 others
were treated at the scene for minor injuries, he said.
Just before 8 a.m., Margraf said five workers were on the barge
using sledgehammers to adjust a shoring attached to the metal
passageway for the new Horseshoe Casino.
Two other workers were inside the walkway working on hydraulic
lifts.
Margraf said the barge shifted beneath the structure, causing
the walkway to fall. The collapse hurled the two workers inside the
walkway 12 to 15 feet into the lake while the five workers below
jumped or fell into the water.
Margraf said the two workers who were inside the passageway as
it fell ended up briefly trapped inside the fallen walkway, one end
of which was submerged a few feet into the water.
"It was like a shoot. They slid down into the water, inside,
and it landed on the marina," he said.
The two workers were never in serious danger, Margraf said.
Horseshoe is nearly finished building the new $485 million
casino boat just across the state line from Chicago. The walkway
that fell is one of three that will connect the casino to the
site's pavilion.
Margraf said the U.S. Coast Guard and the Indiana Occupational
Safety and Health Administration are investigating the accident.
The workers, members of the Iron Workers Local 395, were wearing
lifejackets, said Mike Summers, the local's business manager.
A statement released by Horseshoe Casino said the casino had
been closed since early Monday as the new casino barge was being
moved into the place of the previous boat. The company said it
doesn't expect the accident will delay the new casino's opening.
"A full engineering review is under way, and Horseshoe Casino
has taken measures to ensure the safety of the on site construction
staff," the company said.