Bill Albrecht still hasn't forgotten, even though more than 50 years have passed. Every time he drives across the old Four Bears bridge he's overtaken with memories.

It was September 1953 and the Bismarck resident was working at the Coast-to-Coast hardware store. He had quit his job working on the construction of a bridge at the Fort Berthold Reservation four months earlier because it was too dangerous. The then 26-year-old had a young family to think of.

As he walked down an aisle in the store, he heard the news. A voice on the radio said there had been an accident. A 36-year-old St. Cloud, Minn., native was dead and two others were injured in a bridge construction accident. Sylvester Mahr was the victim's name. Albrecht knew it well.

They shared rides to work every morning for the almost 10 months they worked on the Four Bears bridge together. Mahr frequently dropped by to play with Albrecht's two young daughters. They were partners on the construction site, sharing tools and constantly working side by side.

"I couldn't believe it," said Albrecht, now 77. "Especially when I heard it was my crew. There's no question I would have been there."

According to newspaper reports of the accident, Mahr - who was referred to as Nehr in one report - was killed in a 65-foot fall from scaffolding that gave way. Two others also dropped from the scaffold but were only injured.

More than 51 years later, Albrecht recently read about another death. This time it was a construction worker working on a bridge that will replace the one his friend died building.

Levi Grant, 21, of Mandaree, died Tuesday when a steel support structure collapsed while workers were assembling it. Three others were injured in the accident.

"It brought my mind back to when I left (construction)," Albrecht said.

Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the accident to see if proper safety precautions were taken.

Albrecht said that when the first accident happened, OSHA wasn't around to look into what happened. Instead, the Corp of Engineers and contractors investigated the accident. Albrecht said there was little emphasis placed on safety at the work site and it was a hazardous environment. The Tribune was unable to find reports on the outcome of the investigation.

"I could see where it would happen," Albrecht said. "It was very dangerous."

(Reach reporter Sheena Dooley at 250-8225 or sheenadooley@ndonline.com.)