Investigators search for cause of overpass accident that killed family

No new details emerged Tuesday about what caused a chunk of concrete and other debris to fall from a Bonney Lake overpass and kill a family of three.

Bonney Lake police, the state Department of Transportation and the project’s contractor, WHH Nisqually, which is owned by the Nisqually Indian Tribe, are investigating the accident.

Josh and Vanessa Ellis and their 8-month son, Hudson, were killed when the debris fell on their pickup.

The contractor said in a statement Tuesday that it had shut down the project and would not be commenting on the accident “until the investigation is complete and we are able to provide an accurate account of events.”

Before Monday’s accident, crews were getting ready to remove the outside wall of the overpass on state Route 410 to replace it with a newer structure.

The state had approved the contractor’s demolition plan, Bonney Lake’s Public Works Director Dan Grigsby said.

The work was part of a $1.8 million project to rebuild the northern side of the bridge and complete the sidewalk along state Route 410.

The project includes widening the roadway between the bridge and 192nd Avenue East, adding a sewer line and bases for future street lights.

A city newsletter earlier this year noted that the section of sidewalk would be difficult to construct, given its location on the overpass.

This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Investigators search for cause of overpass accident that killed family."