Accounts Established for Workers Injured in 91 Construction Accident

Worker assistance accounts have been established for at least two of the 10 workers injured when a new 91 Freeway onramp collapsed earlier this month, the Riverside County Transportation Commission announced this weekend.

Donations from the public will be accepted for the new accounts established by the California Transportation Foundation, RCTC, and the project’s contractor, Atkinson/Walsh Joint Venture, according to an RCTC release.

Donations can be made at www.transportationfoundation.org/donate. The specific amount of contributions should be left in the “Comments” box and CTF will match donations up to $5,000 per worker. Donations will be distributed to a contact person for each of the worker’s families and there are no limitations on how the families can use the money.

The workers were injured during an Oct. 9 construction accident in Corona, during which hydraulic jacks carrying a bridge deck for the new East Grand Avenue onramp failed, dropping a section of the new freeway bridge more than a foot. The falling bridge deck snapped a number of wooden support beams, which struck the construction workers.

Seven of the workers remain hospitalized, and so far accounts have been set up for just two of them, James Chaffee Jr. and Gilberto Ortiz. However, RCTC officials believe that further support is on the way.

“We are grateful for the support and generosity of the California Transportation Foundation,” said Anne Mayer, executive director of the RCTC. “Since the accident, I’ve been approached by many people who want to help. We now have a great way to support the workers, and I expect more accounts to be established in the next few days.”

The accident remains under investigation by Caltrans, Cal/OSHA and Washington, D.C.-based KCE Structural Engineers.

The $1.4 billion 91 project involves an expansion of the freeway that will add regular and tolled express lanes, connectors and new connections between the 91 and 15 Freeways, as well as improved interchanges, bridges, ramps and local streets, according to RCTC.

The project is expected to be completed by 2017.

--City News Service, photo courtesy of OnSceneTV