Broadway reopens to traffic

The 1700 block of Broadway reopened to traffic late Friday afternoon, three days after a concrete slab accidentally dropped on a worker, seriously injuring him.

Tuesday's accident at the site of construction of a parking garage also damaged the precast concrete structure and forced the local contractor, Kiefner Bros. Inc., to shore up the structure with metal poles, city emergency officials said.

"The parts that are damaged are going to be removed," contractor Tom Kiefner said Friday. "Basically, our agreement with the hospital is that everything damaged will be coming off."

Kiefner said the 1700 block of Broadway was closed to traffic as a precaution while crews and a structural engineer made sure that the unfinished parking structure is safe.

That section of Broadway reopened to traffic at 4:30 p.m., said Cape Girardeau Fire Department assistant chief Mark Hasheider.

Meanwhile, construction worker Sam Scholl, 45, remained hospitalized at St. Louis University Hospital with leg injuries. Kiefner declined to discuss his condition, citing the wishes of the injured man's family.

Kiefner said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has completed its on-site analysis of the incident, but the government agency still hasn't wrapped up its investigation.

Hasheider said the street closure made it harder for customers to reach businesses along that stretch of Broadway.

But Dr. David Crowe, a local dentist, said his customers coped with the detour. "Everybody was a good sport about it," he said. "Obviously, our No. 1 concern is the health and condition of the man who was injured."