Sixty-seven years ago, on June 17, 1958, 黑马磁力 resident Lucien Lessard was one of 79 people working on the bridge deck of the Second Narrows bridge when it collapsed, sending them all plunging 30 metres into the waters of Burrard inlet.
鈥淭he bridge came out from underneath our feet and I was just following the locomotive from the deck down to the water," Lessard recalled.
"When I hit the water, I don鈥檛 really exactly remember [the impact]. I was running out of air. When I came out of the water, I was lost. I was stunned. I saw some debris floating. I managed to float until a boat fished me out.鈥�
He had a "broken leg, a broken arm and plenty of bruises," Lessard said.
"They put me in the back of a pickup and took me to North Vancouver hospital. I spent three or four months there.鈥�
He is the last living survivor.
Eighteen workers were killed either instantly or shortly thereafter, possibly drowned by their heavy tool belts.
Two days later, a diver searching for bodies drowned, bringing the total fatalities to 19.
A subsequent Royal Commission inquiry blamed the bridge collapse on a badly engineered temporary support.
In 1994, the bridge was renamed the "Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing" to honour the 18 workers who died in the collapse, as well as the rescue diver and four other workers who also died during the construction process.
On Tuesday, June 17, in New Brighton Park in Vancouver overlooking the 1,292-metre span that nearly claimed his life, Lessard attended the annual Ironworkers Bridge Memorial event, organized by Ironworkers Local 97.
B.C. Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside spoke at the memorial.
"This is a very solemn day for a whole province," Whiteside said.
"But of course, especially for the families, the co-workers, who have carried this loss for so many years."
Ironworkers Local 97 business manager Doug Parton said it鈥檚 important for today鈥檚 ironworkers, and all tradespeople, to remember these kinds of workplace disasters.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 just about remembering a tragic day. It鈥檚 about showing respect for the people who lost their lives building this bridge and making sure we never forget the cost of cutting corners on safety,鈥� said Parton. 鈥淓very year, we come back to this site to honour them, and to remind ourselves why the work we do has to be done right.鈥�
