Authorities in Mississippi were expecting the Strong River Bridge to collapse. That’s why crews were in the process of demolishing it. They just weren’t expecting it to self-destruct suddenly while they were preparing to pull it down. Three workers were killed and four more injured on October 16.
Fatal bridge collapse
On Wednesday afternoon, October 16, the Strong River proved to be a lot stronger than the bridge spanning it. Responsible officials apparently don’t have any idea how the collapse happened yet.
They aren’t giving any details out about exactly what did happen, either. The death of employees on the job makes it an OSHA matter. They seem to have asked the clueless good ole boy southern cops to please stay out of their way.
Governor Tate Reeves posted an update on social media noting state authorities had “confirmed multiple injuries and at least three fatalities from the accident.”
Right away, “first responders from Simpson County Sheriff’s Office, the state and county emergency management offices, and other state assets were on the scene of the bridge collapse.”
Calls came in to the Sheriff around 3 p.m. Wednesday reporting the catastrophe. Arriving on scene, deputies “discovered three construction workers deceased and at least three more severely injured.”
Kevin Malone, Charles Ingleharte and Charles Badger were pronounced dead at the bridge demolition site. The others were transported to various local hospitals for treatment.

Closed since September
The public had been using the unsafe span as recently as September 18. That’s the day they closed the Strong River Bridge to traffic “in preparation for a replacement project.” The public apparently had no idea they were taking their lives in their hands getting to work.
It also seems that MDOT wasn’t aware just how deteriorated their aging infrastructure had become. Possibly criminally negligent in their assessments.
In a statement, the Mississippi Department of Transportation confirmed “contractors were actively demolishing the bridge when it collapsed.” For now, they say the cause of the work site accident is unknown but “the project is on hold until an investigation can be completed.”
It appears they’re getting ready to shift the blame off on the contractor. It had been built back in 1935 and its condition made it one of the worst bridges in the state.”
The work “was part of a larger infrastructure overhaul contracted out to T.L. Wallace Construction Company.” They also issued a statement. They’re “devastated by the loss of their three employees,” who “were cherished members of our community and our team.”
They insist they’re totally “cooperating with the investigation.” MDOT had “an inspector overseeing the project.” He was on site during the bridge collapse but smart enough not be standing where he would get hurt.