Posted on 06/01/2002 7:58:35 PM PDT by HAL9000
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) — The towboat pilot who said he blacked out before his barge struck an interstate highway bridge, killing 14 people, had a heart condition he didn't know about, an official said.Joe Dedmon, 61, has heart blockage, said Ken Suydam, an investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board. His comments were made at a non-public meeting on Friday, the Muskogee Daily Phoenix reported.
NTSB spokeswoman Lauren Peduzzi said it was not known if Dedmon's condition had anything to do with the blackout or the crash. She said Dedmon was transferred Friday to a hospital in Jackson, Miss., for cardiac evaluation.
News of the cardiac condition came a day after Suydam revealed Dedmon had less than a total of 10 hours sleep in the two days before the collision.
Dedmon told authorities he blacked out just before a barge being pushed by his towboat hit the Interstate 40 bridge over the Arkansas River and knocked out a 500-foot section of the span, sending several vehicles into the water.
Federal investigators said they have not determined an official cause of the collision.
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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