KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A construction worker who survived the fatal bridge collapse in Clay County in 2022 has filed a lawsuit against the county and two engineering firms, alleging their negligence led to the tragedy.

Kaden Bax, the plaintiff, is suing Clay County, Crockett Engineering Consultants, LLC, and WSP USA, Inc. for their roles in the collapse of the bridge over Carroll Creek at NE 148th Street on Oct. 26, 2022.

Bax was working on the project when disaster struck. According to the lawsuit, Crockett Engineering was hired to design the falsework—the temporary system of girders, braces, and columns supporting the structure during construction. Meanwhile, WSP USA was responsible for inspecting the bridge at key stages of completion.

On the day of the collapse, workers began pouring concrete for the bridge deck. But by early afternoon, with less than half the intended load in place, “suddenly and without warning the falsework collapsed, sending a river of wet concrete into Carroll Creek along with tons of twisted metal rebar and shattered wood forms,” the lawsuit states.

Bax and several others were trapped in the debris. According to court documents, “He could not see daylight, it was pitch black and he was scared for his life.”

One worker, 22-year-old Connor Ernst from California, Missouri, was killed after drowning in the wet concrete. Bax and two others managed to escape but sustained injuries. Bax suffered abrasions, bruises, concrete burns to multiple areas, and has experienced “severe back pain, soreness, stiffness and emotional distress” since the incident, according to the lawsuit.

Bax also claims he continues to struggle with post-traumatic stress and anxiety more than two years after the collapse.

The lawsuit accuses Crockett Engineering of negligence, citing failures including:

• Providing incomplete and inadequate falsework designs.
• Failing to meet applicable codes, standards, and industry expectations.
• Not communicating key information about the falsework design to project stakeholders.

WSP USA is similarly accused of negligence for not identifying flaws in the falsework during inspections and for failing to ensure construction followed proper standards.

Clay County, the lawsuit argues, “allowed dangerous conditions…to exist” at the construction site and failed to correct them, which directly led to the collapse.

Bax is seeking a jury trial to determine liability and damages, alleging that the county permitted unsafe conditions and that the engineering firms failed in their professional duties.

As of Tuesday, neither Crockett Engineering Consultants nor WSP USA responded to requests for comment from FOX4. Clay County has also not issued a statement regarding the lawsuit.

Filed on May 1, 2025, in the Circuit Court of Clay County, Missouri (Case No. 25CY-CV05157), the lawsuit underscores the ongoing fallout from the tragic collapse that claimed one life and left others physically and emotionally scarred.

Originally reported by Delaney Evermann in Fox 4 News.