The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

Write for Us
Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
@TheChrony
Print Issues
Write for Us
Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
@TheChrony
Print Issues

Bridge collapses near engineering building

By Victoria Johnson

Students returned to school Monday to find a nearly collapsed bridge near the Merrill Engineering Building.

A forklift fell through the bridge Friday morning at about 11 a.m. Its driver was heading to the Warnock Engineering Building construction site when the forklift fell about 10 feet into a small ravine. The driver, whose name has not been released, was not injured.

“It just caved in,” said Kent Walter, project manager for Jacobsen Construction. “It was rusted through-in a state of disrepair.”

Walter said Jacobsen workers had been instructed not to use the bridge.

“The operator is an experienced forklift operator, but he’d only been here a few weeks and he missed the communication,” he said.

Nate Gerlach, a Jacobsen carpenter, said workers frequently drive over the bridge in forklifts, trucks and other vehicles.

“Our electricians and the pipe fitter have driven across it,” he said. “But I guess it was (the forklift driver’s) lucky day. He was belted in so he didn’t get bucked out or anything.”

Students walking by the wreckage on Monday peered on in curiosity and were forced to walk down the gully to get around the bridge.

“Before Fall Break, it was fine,” said Lionel Lewis, a senior in biology. “But when I came back, it was collapsed. I’m glad I wasn’t on it. I used it a couple times a day.”

John Kingston, a sophomore in computer science, was nearby when the accident occurred.

“I saw it right after it happened- around 11 (a.m.)-and the forklift was still there,” he said. “I went to go study and then when I came back, the forklift was gone.”

Walter is unsure whether the bridge will be reconstructed or torn down, but he said his superiors are discussing the options with U administrators.

Melinda Hom-Williams

Engineering majors Chris Morrow, Rylan Hayes and Michelle Bass examine the remains of a bridge near the Merrill Engineering Building, which collapsed when a forklift tried to drive over it Friday.

Leave a Comment

Comments (0)

The Daily Utah Chronicle welcomes comments from our community. However, the Daily Utah Chronicle reserves the right to accept or deny user comments. A comment may be denied or removed if any of its content meets one or more of the following criteria: obscenity, profanity, racism, sexism, or hateful content; threats or encouragement of violent or illegal behavior; excessively long, off-topic or repetitive content; the use of threatening language or personal attacks against Chronicle members; posts violating copyright or trademark law; and advertisement or promotion of products, services, entities or individuals. Users who habitually post comments that must be removed may be blocked from commenting. In the case of duplicate or near-identical comments by the same user, only the first submission will be accepted. This includes comments posted across multiple articles. You can read more about our comment policy at https://dailyutahchronicle.com/comment-faqs/.
All The Daily Utah Chronicle Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *