Tunnel collapse kills 1, prompts new scrutiny

The state's governor is attempting to remove the turnpike chief.
BOSTON (AP) -- At least 12 tons of concrete collapsed onto a passing car in a Big Dig tunnel, fatally crushing a newlywed and prompting renewed scrutiny Tuesday of the costliest highway project in U.S. history. The state attorney general said he plans to treat the site as a crime scene that could lead to charges of negligent homicide.
The attorney general's office already has begun issuing subpoenas to those involved in the design, manufacturing, testing, construction and oversight of the panels and tunnel.
"What we are looking at is anyone who had anything to do with what happened last night," Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly said. "No one is going to be spared."
The accident around 11 p.m. Monday was near the entrance to the Ted Williams Tunnel, which runs under Boston Harbor to Logan International Airport. The driver of the crushed car managed to crawl through a window to safety, but his wife died when four massive concrete ceiling panels fell on the vehicle.
Gov. Mitt Romney said Tuesday he is taking legal action to oust the head of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, comparing the situation with the replacement of former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown after Hurricane Katrina.
"People should not have to drive through the Turnpike tunnels with their fingers crossed," Romney said. "Neither I nor anyone else could be or should be satisfied until we have new leadership at the Turnpike authority."
Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Chairman Matthew Amorello said a steel "tieback" that had held a 40-foot section of ceiling over eastbound Interstate 90 gave way, letting the concrete slabs loose as the car drove beneath them.
"There was a snapping sound heard," Amorello said. "One of the tile panels from the roof released. It caused a series of panels to be released."
Amorello
Amorello's aides did not immediately return calls Tuesday to respond to the governor's threat to take legal action to oust him.
Amorello said he had ordered a precautionary inspection of that tunnel as well because it has similar tiebacks, though a different ceiling structure. He said similar tiebacks were also used in 17 spots on the Interstate 90 section of the Big Dig and all were being checked.
"We feel awful about what happened last night," Amorello said. "It's an awful, awful tragedy. ... This is an awful situation that occurred."
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.