Authorities identify St. Louis man who fell from bridge

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Authorities on Thursday identified a man who died after falling from a bridge he was repairing as Andy J. Wilson Sr., 49, of St. Louis.

Federal investigators are looking into Wilson's death, the second fatal fall at the Lexington Avenue bridge in two months and the third this year involving Pevely-based Thomas Industrial Coatings.

Police spokesman Darin Snapp said Wilson was disassembling a platform when it gave way and he fell about 50 feet to his death. The victim wasn't wearing a safety harness, Snapp said.

On May 10, another Thomas Industrial worker, Dan Denzer, 47, of Arkansas, died after falling through a hole in a platform while painting the underside of the Lexington Avenue bridge, police said.

In February, Thomas Industrial employee Jimmy Belfield, 39, of Cadet, died when he fell 100 feet from a St. Louis-area bridge into the Mississippi River. He was trying to rescue three co-workers left dangling from safety lines after a platform gave way under them. The three were eventually rescued, but Belfield's body wasn't recovered for two months.

Barbara Theriot, director of the Kansas City area office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said her staff was investigating Wednesday's accident. She said investigators told her Wilson was "dismantling the platform and had moved a piece of sheet metal, and he fell through like a trap door."

She recommended that anyone working more than 6 feet above the ground wear some form of protection from falls.

Theriot said her office still is investigating the May 10 accident and has six months to issue any violations or fines, which the company can appeal.

Leland Darrow, acting director of OSHA's St. Louis office, said his office still is investigating the February accident.

Ron Jenkins, a St. Louis-based attorney for Thomas Industrial, said OSHA cleared the company of wrongdoing in those accidents and that the company's president, Don Thomas, has always been concerned with safety.

"Everyone always hates to lose an employee," Jenkins said. "It's just awful."

Two other Thomas Industrial employees died from bridge falls in the mid-1990s.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com