Search continues for missing worker who fell from scaffolding under Long Island drawbridge

The search continued Friday for a missing worker who fell from scaffolding under a Long Island drawbridge Wednesday.

A crew of eight was painting and repairing the steel of the Loop Parkway drawbridge when part of the temporary scaffolding below the bridge collapsed, plunging two workers into the water.

One worker jumped 50 feet into the water to try to save the pair. One of the two workers, 39-year-old Kleiton De Madeiros, died at the hospital, and the other, 38-year-old Diogo De Oliveira, remains unaccounted for.

"He did a heroic thing by jumping in. That's a large drop, and he was able to recover the one victim. Unfortunately, he did succumb," New York State Police Lt. Michael Grosso said.

Tow boat operators Peter Galbraith and Joe Lilli were close enough to help when they heard the distress calls.

"We saw the guys on the part of the scaffold that fell over, and they were frantic," Lilli said.

Police recruited the boaters to rescue a third worker stranded at the base of the bridge.

"Trembling, almost. No shoes, bloodied feet," Galbraith said.

Police then asked them to help search for the missing man.

That search, an all-hands-on-deck effort, entered its third day Friday.

The construction company told CBS News New York it's "heartbroken" and thanked first responders for their heroism and selfless service.

Galbraith and Lilli say they just wish it hadn't ended tragically.

"How these people were affected so terribly," Lilli said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Transportation and New York State Police will look into what went wrong. Police will determine if there was any criminal negligence.