Bridge inspector confesses to faking paperwork

[sinkingfeeling]

Source: MSNBC.com

A Georgia state employee could face criminal charges after admitting that he faked dozens of inspection reports for bridges that he never inspected, state officials said.

The fake inspections came to light after a review of paperwork showed a two-man team working at an impossible rate to meet an end-of-the-year deadline for inspections. In one case they claimed to have inspected 18 bridges a day, when 12 a week would have been the norm.

The supervisor of the crew, David Simmons, confessed that he and his partner falsified 54 inspection reports for bridges in metro Atlanta, Spear said. Eleven of those were vulnerable bridges known as fracture-critical, meaning one failure could cause the bridge to fall.

As in most states, bridge inspectors are not required to be licensed as professional engineers. Simmons and Kelsey were certified as bridge inspectors, meaning they had passed a federal course. The state says it will ask the Federal Highway Administration to revoke their certification.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23020686/

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Most shocking thing to me is that bridge inspectors aren't professionals.

[Benhurst]

1. It's time to dust off all the old "Duck and Cover!" public service announcements

and replace them with new "Jump and Swim!" ones.

[kestrel91316]

2. How many people DIED? IMHO they need to think about charging this

freak with MURDER, or at least negligent homicide.

Oh. My. God.

[The Croquist]

4. I don't think any of them failed yet...

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/02/06/bridges0207.html

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution it sounds like allot of these bridges were near and over the main subway station in Atlanta (Five Points). I worked near there for 15 years. The subway sits in a natural depression (as opposed to bush's) and it is completely covered by bridges. Most pedestrians and drivers don't even know they are on bridges. The buildings are built at ground level but the entrances are at bridge height. There are probably over a thousand parking spaces under these bridges for downtown workers and the sports stadiums. One of these bridges could take out both of Atlanta's subway lines worse proportionately to NYC losing Penn Station, Grand Central or Times Squares subways. I know Atlanta's system is much smaller but New Yorkers, unlike Atlanta residents can transfer from one line to the other at other stations.

I don't know what criminal charges are applicable but I hope they get the maximum and then get forced into bankruptcy by fines and a civil suit.

[kestrel91316]

5. Was he the one who most recently "inspected" the one that fell?

I guess I assumed he was. My bad if he wasn't.

But still, he needs to be fired and blacklisted, and prosecuted and sued and frickin' bankrupted.

[dysfunctional press]

7. which bridge in georgia fell?

i missed that one.

[TrogL]

6. You don't get a lot of warning when a bridge is going to fail

Sometimes the structural problems are internal and fail outward.

[0007]

8. A nice prison term would be a wake up call for this nepotism type

of incest.

No one will scream bloody murder until a love one dies.

[FreepFryer]

3. Hmm. No arrests yet? Give me a break. (n/t)