Investigation into death of Riverside Construction employee is ongoing

Published 4:17 pm Thursday, March 24, 2022

Last Sunday, Lawrence Gibson Jr. was killed in an industrial accident at Riverside Stoneyard at 657 Dorsey St. 

Gibson was an employee of Riverside Construction. This is not the first death of an employee of Riverside Construction Co. while on the job.

In 2016, an employee named Michael Collins was killed in an accident while operating a dump truck. It was found in the ensuing investigation that brakes on the truck were in poor condition and allowed it to roll backward into the river with Collins still inside.

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Portable ramps being used were also found to be ill-maintained. OSHA cited Riverside Construction Co. with two violations and issued fines in relation to the 2016 incident. Riverside Construction settled with Collins’ family out of court following the incident.

Gibson’s death is currently being investigated by the Vicksburg Police Department, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the US Coast Guard.

When asked for comment, Chief Penny Jones of the Vicksburg Police Department said she could not discuss an ongoing investigation. Representatives from OSHA and USCG also declined to provide details due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.

Riverside Construction was also asked for comment, but declined to do so.