Survivor of Oak Island Bridge collapse sues DOT, contracting company

A man injured during the Oak Island bridge collapse is suing the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Ricky Bryant was attached to a concrete girder that fell five stories last December. Bryant fractured his leg, injured his shoulder, and said he now suffers from PTSD after watching his friend and co-worker Jose Montalvo die.

Bryant’s lawyer, Richard Flexner said, “We’ve hired some world famous bridge engineering experts who have examined this and they’ve come to a very different conclusion than the state’s experts have. And they concluded that appropriate safety margins were not incorporated into the construction procedures.”

Bryant is suing the DOT, as well as the contracting company and engineering firms.

Richard Flexner said the support rods were not strong enough to handle the weight of the girders.