Point Lookout, New York: Bridge Scaffold Collapse on Loop Parkway Kills One Worker, Leaves One Missing

A section of scaffolding collapsed on the Loop Parkway drawbridge in Nassau County just before noon on Wednesday, November 11, sending two construction workers into Reynolds Channel. One of the men was pulled from the water and later died at a hospital. The second man is still missing. Six other workers suffered injuries that officials described as not life threatening.

Two workers fell into the channel

The scaffolding buckled while a crew was repairing the drawbridge, according to the New York State Police. Two workers plunged into the channel below. First responders gave CPR to one of the men pulled from the water and rushed him to a local hospital, where he later died, News 12 Long Island reported. The names of the workers have not been released.

Search continues for the missing worker

Crews from Coast Guard Station Jones Beach and Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod joined local fire departments, dive teams and the state police in the search for the missing worker, and the search was still under way on Wednesday evening. Federal workplace safety officials have opened an investigation into the collapse. The state Department of Transportation has not named the private contractor responsible for the scaffolding and the crew.

An aging bridge in the middle of a repair contract

The Loop Parkway connects the Meadowbrook State Parkway to Long Beach and Point Lookout on the Long Beach Barrier Island. The drawbridge dates to 1934 and has needed frequent maintenance since it was built, Newsday reported. The repair work is part of a 15.9 million dollar contract that began in September, according to the state Department of Transportation. The work covers bridge decks, replacement of bridge joints, new railings and better lighting for boat traffic, and it is scheduled to run to March 2028.

The parkway closed after the collapse and fully reopened by 5 p.m. on Wednesday. What caused the scaffolding to give way is not yet known.

Officials have not released the names or ages of the dead and missing workers, and they have not said how many workers were on the bridge when the scaffolding failed. The New York Post said it sought comment from the Point Lookout Lido Fire Department and the state police, and neither had responded right away. For drivers, the closure cut a main route between the Meadowbrook State Parkway and the barrier island communities of Long Beach and Point Lookout during the Wednesday afternoon commute, until crews cleared the bridge and the parkway reopened at 5 p.m.