Workers Were On South Crest Road Bridge When Cable Dropped
posted May 18, 2008
Chattanooga police said no charges will be filed in connection with a fatal accident on a bridge over Interstate 24 at Missionary Ridge on Friday.
Police also said they determined that the victim and another worker who was injured were both on top of the bridge at the time of the accident.
According to the traffic accident report, Antonios Diassakos and Anthony Damalos were working for Seminole Equipment Company doing maintenance on the South Crest Bridge over I-24 when a safety cable dropped from an area of the bridge and caught the top of a bin vehicle driven by Phillip Byrd of Cohutta, Ga.
This caused the cable to be pulled, which took down a TDOT camera and pole.
Mr. Diassakos was connected to the safety cable at the time of the incident and was hit in the head by a large hook that was attached to the end of the cable. As a result, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr. Damalos was also injured by the cable and was transported to Erlanger Hospital for non-life threatening injuries to his head and legs.
Both men were on the bridge at the time of the incident.
A second vehicle driven by William Painter of Flintstone, Ga., was also damaged.
No charges are pending for either driver.
An OSHA investigator responded to the scene and is also investigating the incident.
Mr. Damalos’ current condition is unknown.
Police said, "It was previously believed that the men were on scaffolding that was off to the side of the bridge and that they were thrown back on to the top of it by the swinging cable. A language barrier between police and some of the other workers made communication difficult.
"Police were later able to determine the nature of the incident after speaking with several witnesses and workers; and reconstructing the scene."
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