On the road again
Interstate project scheduled for completion on Aug. 18

Contractors secure themselves with harnesses to safety cables as they return to work this week at the I-40 bridges which span Second and Third Streets in Gallup. The job site had been inactive for months following the death of a worker who fell from the bridge after his shift had ended. [photo by Jeff Jones / Independent]

By Gaye Brown de Alvarez
Staff writer

GALLUP — After Bennie Duboise fell to his death on March 19, the company rebuilding the bridges on Interstate 40 halted work on the project above Second and Third streets in Gallup.

Contractor A.S. Horner hopes to have the project, which has squeezed traffic going east and west on I-40 down to one lane, completed by Aug. 18, Director of Human Resources, Linda Heller said.

Duboise’s death stunned the community when it was revealed that Duboise, 31, and the foreman Leonard Yazzie were drinking prior to the fall. The crew was prepared to leave for the day when Duboise was walking along a metal beam spanning Second Street and slipped and fell more than 20 feet. He was not wearing any protective gear, and the crew had finished working for the day.

Lt. Rick White of the Gallup Police Department, said the foreman, Yazzie, was arrested that evening on drunken driving charges as he drove from the construction site unaware of his co-worker’s fatal fall. Officers reported that Yazzie was driving in an erratic manner and has been arrested for DWI on repeated occasions. According to jail records, the arrest marked Yazzie’s sixth alcohol-related arrest. White said officers recovered bottles of alcohol at the scene.

According to Heller, the entire crew was replaced after the accident, including the foreman. The new foreman is Carl Johnson. Heller said the company makes “every effort to hire from within the communities that we live and work and hire the most qualified candidates,” and was an Equal Opportunity Employer. Heller also said about company policies prohibiting alcohol and completing background checks:

“While company policies does not allow me to comment on specific details of our policies, I can say that prior to the tragic event we had strict policies in place and we continue to practices those same policies. Our policies and practices are aligned with the New Mexico Department of Transportation, and we are working closely with the state in accordance with their requests”

Gov. Bill Richardson asked the Department of Transportation to review all contracts and explore appropriate action, including termination, with A.S. Horner Construction.

“With all we’ve done to combat drunk driving and alcohol abuse in this state, this behavior is unacceptable,” Gov. Richardson said in a news release after the accident. “I want to be sure that the contractor is held accountable.”

In addition, the New Mexico Environment Department is taking action.

“The New Mexico Environment Department’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau will review the case thoroughly to determine what caused the death,” said New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ron Curry in the same release.

Heller said that an OSHA report has not been submitted and nobody from the state has contacted A. S. Horner after the incident.