One Dead; Three Injured in Bridge Collapse

One worker died and three others were injured when a bridge collapsed while under construction on Wednesday, October 26. Clay County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the collapse at NE 148th St. and Shady Grove Road outside of Kearney at 1:44 pm.

Workers were pouring concrete on the bridge deck when the bridge collapsed, trapping three to four people.

“Two to three of them were able to extricate themselves from the collapse; another man died,” reported Clay County Sheriff’s Office Public Relations Manager Sarah Boyd.

22-year-old Connor R. Ernst of California, Missouri died in the collapse. Kearney Fire and Rescue worked for approximately 50 minutes to free Ernst from wet concrete and rubble after the collapse.The workers who were able to escape from the collapse had minor injuries and were transported to area hospitals.

There were multiple contracting companies on scene at the time of the collapse. There were no county employees on scene.

The bridge has been closed since 2016, and construction began in May 2021. The two-lane bridge was set to open in early 2023. The Clay County Highway Department states there were no safety concerns on the project prior to today. An engineering contractor was on scene today inspecting the bridge before the deck was poured.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story