Worker killed in crane accident at sewer district construction site in Shrewsbury

A man working the overnight shift for contractor SAK Construction was killed in an accident here early Tuesday at a Metropolitan Sewer District construction site.

A crane swung and struck Shawn Pritchett, 35, of Montgomery City, at about 3 a.m. The accident scene, near Carr Lane Court just north of Interstate 44, is part of a $150 million construction contract for the Deer Creek tunnel project, which runs through 2022.

After the fatality, O’Fallon, Missouri-based SAK shut down the job site for the day, MSD spokesman Sean Hadley said. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent an investigator to the scene.

And SAK released a statement: “We do not yet have all the details of this accident, and a thorough investigation is underway,” it said. “We extend our deepest sympathy to the family of our employee.”