[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 69 (Friday, April 27, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H3731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     REMEMBERING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WILLOW ISLAND DISASTER

  (Mr. McKINLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McKINLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 40th anniversary 
of the Willow Island disaster, when 51 construction workers perished in 
the deadliest construction accident in United States history.
  These men were building cooling tower No. 2 at the Pleasants Power 
Station in West Virginia. Just after 10 o'clock on that tragic day, as 
the third lift of concrete was being lifted, the cable housing on the 
crane went slack and the crane collapsed in on the tower.
  The concrete that had been poured the previous day then started to 
unwrap the tower, taking out the scaffolding. All the men who were on 
the scaffolding at that time were killed, and many workers on the 
ground were buried under the falling debris.
  This horrible accident spurred a national conversation about more 
construction safety and led to improved standards. And for those of us 
who have worked in the construction industry, it underscored just how 
fragile life is and that paying attention to every detail can make a 
difference whether we go home or not.
  This is a tragedy that is still felt throughout the Pleasants County 
community. Angie Colvin, who was just in the fifth grade at the time of 
the disaster, lost 12 family members that day, including her father.
  The Willow Island community will gather this evening at the memorial 
erected in honor of those 51 workers. Our prayers are with the entire 
community on this day of remembrance.

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