Worker dies at Hoover Dam bypass project

A 48-year-old construction worker was killed Monday while working on the Hoover Dam bypass project site, Federal Highway Administration officials said.

Officials said the midmorning accident occurred during a routine operation to adjust a cable used to align the temporary concrete towers that support construction of the bridge's giant arches.

Las Vegan Sherman Jones died of lacerations to his heart and liver because of blunt force injury, according to the Clark County coroner's office.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident.

When completed, the bridge will carry traffic between Nevada and Arizona over the Colorado River, relieving traffic congestion over the dam.

Tom McGuire, general counsel for Obayashi Corp., part of the joint venture with PSM Construction USA, which is building the bridge, said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident and words cannot express our sympathy for the wife, children and extended family of the construction worker who suffered this fatal accident."

McGuire said the company will establish and participate in a memorial fund for the family.