L'Ambiance offers enduring lessons

4/23/07
It was a supposed to be something Bridgeport would never forget, but the memory of that awful day has already started to fade. On this date 20 years ago, the L’Ambiance Plaza apartment complex, under construction on Washington Avenue, collapsed to the ground, killing 28 construction workers.
Many people who lived in the city then have moved on or died, and waves of newcomers with no memory of the tragedy have taken their place. But though the specifics have dimmed, the lessons take on new importance with a wave of construction sweeping the city. The safety and well-being of workers must always take priority; speed and tight budgets can never excuse shoddy work conditions.
The anniversary is an apt time to honor everyone who has made worker safety a cause worth fighting for. Construction, especially, is dangerous work, and all necessary precautions must be in place before we ask people to risk their lives to do a job. Workers conditions have improved dramatically over the decades, but it’s important to always keep the pressure on, and stop developers, cities or contractors from cutting corners. People’s lives are at stake.
And that’s what’s most important on this date — the memory of the lives lost. These weren’t just 28 construction workers, they were 28 people. Taking time to remember them on this date is the least we can do for their memories.
Anniversary remembrances can be tiring; it’s always 30 or 55 or 175 years since something or other. But without taking time occasionally to look back, the lives lost and lessons learned will be forgotten. For Bridgeport, the worst construction accident in modern history can never be allowed to fade away. The echoes are too strong, the wounds too deep. As long as people make a living building and climbing and putting things together, the people who died at L’Ambiance Plaza will stay with us.