The construction of the Mackinac Bridge, connecting Michigan’s two peninsulas across the Straits of Mackinac, was a dangerous project spanning three and a half years. The bridge, which opened in 1957, is one of the world’s longest suspension bridges, stretching five miles over the water. During the construction period from 1954 to 1957, five men lost their lives in work-related accidents.
The Five Fatalities: A Roll Call of Honor
The first fatality occurred on September 16, 1954, when 46-year-old diver Frank Pepper died from decompression sickness, known as “the bends.” Pepper had ascended too quickly from 140 feet while inspecting an underwater pier, and he could not be saved despite being rushed to a decompression chamber. Weeks later, on October 10, 1954, 26-year-old James R. LeSarge fell into a caisson, a watertight chamber used for foundation work.
LeSarge, who was working on a fitting gang, lost his balance and fell approximately 40 feet, striking steel beams inside the caisson. The third death occurred on October 25, 1954, when 40-year-old Albert Abbott fell into the water while working on an 18-inch-wide beam. Witnesses speculated that Abbott may have suffered a heart attack before or during the fall, and he subsequently drowned.
The final two construction deaths occurred simultaneously on June 6, 1956. Twenty-eight-year-old Jack C. Baker and 28-year-old Robert Koppen fell an estimated 550 feet from a temporary catwalk near the north tower. Baker’s body was recovered immediately following the accident, but a three-day search for Koppen’s body was unsuccessful.
Separating Fact from Folklore
A persistent piece of folklore claims that workers who died during construction are entombed within the concrete supports of the Mackinac Bridge. This is a common myth associated with many large-scale construction projects. Bridge historians and the Mackinac Bridge Authority have consistently stated that no bodies are embedded in the concrete piers or supports.
The myth may have been fueled by the tragic circumstances of James R. LeSarge’s death, as he fell into a caisson, a component of the bridge’s foundation. However, his body was recovered from the caisson, not sealed within the concrete. The fact that Robert Koppen’s body was never recovered after his fall from the catwalk may also contribute to the story’s endurance.
It is important to distinguish the five construction fatalities from other deaths associated with the bridge after its completion in 1957. For example, maintenance worker Daniel Doyle died in 1997 after falling from scaffolding and drowning in the cold Straits of Mackinac. The official count of workers who died during the bridge’s construction remains five.