Many job-site accidents are the result of a lack of training and equipment failure. Don’t let that happen to you and your employees. Sign up for training or schedule your next inspection with Cranes101. But first, read on for the August 2023 accidents.
Crashing through
This article was originally published on August 7, 2023 on Vertikal.net.
One of our readers in Scotland spotted a large boom lift that had punched through the pavement/side walk in Edinburgh on Friday.
The boom – a 93ft Dingli BT30RT from the Quick Reach fleet – had apparently been unloaded or left for collection and was driven onto the pavement/sidewalk in Leith Walk. However, one of its wheels found a void and what happened is clear to see.
The BT30RT has an overall weight of almost 19 tonnes so each wheel will bear around four to five tonnes when stowed, applying ground pressure through a solid poly filled tyre.
Thankfully no one was hurt, and the damage limited to the pavement, hopefully there were no gas mains or other conduits below. It should also have been relatively easy to recover.
In the words of our correspondent: “Passed this this incident in Edinburgh today. Not my job just one I walked past. Classic Friday job in Edinburgh where everyone is driving all over the footpaths.”
Update
Quick Reach has responded to learning of the incident as follows:
“We are extremely disappointed to see this happen given the training and education protocol we have at Quick Reach. Luckily, no person was hurt, and the machine and damage were rectified within the hour. Our team have taken proactive measures by launching a comprehensive investigation into the incident to ensure we have a thorough understanding of what transpired. Rest assured, we are committed to learning from this event and will implement preventative measures moving forward.
Many thanks to your reader who has brought this to the news.”
Chevy truck crushed by construction crane
This article is reprinted from the Fox26 News report made by Sheldon Gajarian on August 17, 2023.
Fresno, Calif. — A Chevy truck owner couldn’t believe what he was watching and hearing.
A construction crane tipped over on its side practically cutting the truck in half.
Not only is the truck a total loss, but so are many of his tools that were inside.
The owner and his nephew had to run out of the way of the crane’s boom as it fell.
OSHA will investigate the accident to make sure the crane was being operated properly.
At the time the crane was lifting lumber for a building project in central Fresno.
Luckily nobody was hurt.
Tree cutter dies from fall suffered in Plainville
This article is reprinted from Eyewitness News 3, originally published on August 2, 2023. For video on the incident, click through for the original article.
PLAINVILLE, CT (WFSB) – A worker for a tree-cutting crew died days after the boom for the bucket truck failed and caused him to fall head first to the ground.
Plainville police identified the worker as 59-year-old Michael Holcomb of Bristol.
Holcomb died on Sunday.
Crews responded to Hollyberry Lane at approximately 9:07 a.m. on Wednesday after a report that a tree-cutting crew member fell.
When police, fire, and EMS arrived on scene, they found Holcomb partially trapped by the bucket. He suffered from severe head trauma.
The initial investigation showed that the boom for the bucket truck failed and fell to the ground along with the crew member. Officials said the man was cutting down trees at the time of the incident.
Officials said the worker was transported to New Britain Hospital by an ambulance because the distance of LifeStar emergency helicopter was too far away.
It took five hours for investigators to pull out the damaged bucket truck, they said.
The man worked for Holcomb Tree Service based in Plainville.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, responded to the scene because it was an industrial accident.
A GoFundMe was set up to help Holcomb’s family. You can find it HERE.
16 workers killed in the collapse of a crane being used to build a bridge in India
This article was originally posted by AP News on August 1, 2013.
NEW DELHI (AP) — A huge crane collapsed at a highway construction site in western India, killing at least 16 workers, the country’s National Disaster Response Force said Tuesday
Television footage showed the collapsed crane on the ground as rescue workers looked for survivors near the site in Thane, a city just outside Mumbai. At least three people who were injured were rushed to a hospital.
Press Trust of India reported the crane is used to install precast box girders while building highway and high-speed rail bridges.
Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a message on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are injured,” his office said in a post.
If you see an accident report you’d like us to feature in the blog, like the ones shown here in the August 2023 Accidents Reports, let us know. Contact heather@cranes101.com with the information.