Worker Missing After Scaffold Collapse

Nov. 15, 2000
The search for a painter who plunged into the icy Detroit River when a scaffold on a bridge between the United States and Canada collapsed in gusty wind has been unsuccessful.

The search for a painter who plunged into the icy Detroit River when a scaffold on a bridge between the United States and Canada collapsed in gusty wind has been unsuccessful.

Three of the 10 workers on the scaffold on Tuesday fell into the water, but two were rescued by the Coast Guard.

Authorities in Windsor, Ontario, across the river from Detroit, planned to meet later today to discuss how to continue the search for Jamie Barker, said Windsor police Staff Sgt. Ed McNorton. Barker, 27, was from Windsor.

The men, who work for the Ambassador Bridge Corp., had been painting the privately owned bridge when their scaffold collapsed.

Temperatures were in the upper 30s, and wind was gusting to 22 mph.

"That high wind must have been some factor," Windsor Fire Chief Dave Fields said.

Seven workers were left dangling from safety harnesses about 100 feet above the water, police said.

Three climbed back to the bridge, and the others were hoisted to safety by fire crews after about an hour.

The two men rescued from the fast current by the Coast Guard were hospitalized in good condition. The National Weather Service said the water was 53 degrees.

by Virginia Sutcliffe

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