We at Cranes101 know from experience that 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. But first, read on for the May 2023 accidents.
Construction worker killed in Tel Aviv crane collapse
This article was originally published on May 1, 2023 on timesofisrael.com.
Medical personnel declare 40-year-old man dead at the scene after he gets entangled in electrical wires
A 40-year-old construction worker was killed in Tel Aviv on Monday after he was entangled in electric wires that were knocked down by a crane that tipped over, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.
The scene of a deadly crane collapse on Reines Street in Tel Aviv on May 1, 2023 (Magen David Adom)
A 40-year-old construction worker was killed in Tel Aviv on Monday after he was entangled in electric wires that were knocked down by a crane that tipped over, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.
According to witnesses, the man got entwined in the wires after the crane cab he was standing in hit utility poles on Reines Street, which was subsequently blocked off by police.
Medical personnel were able to reach the man after the electricity on the street was cut off, but they eventually declared him dead at the scene.
Construction site accidents are common in Israel, with watchdog groups complaining of little oversight and dangerous working conditions.
According to the Histadrut labor federation, 29 construction workers have died on the job since the beginning of the year.
Last month, two people were killed and six were wounded in a scaffolding collapse at a construction site in Ramat Gan.
In mid-February, a man was killed when he fell from scaffolding that collapsed on the eighth floor of a building site in the coastal city of Netanya. A week earlier, two construction workers were killed in Ashdod when a wall collapsed on them during electric cable infrastructure work.
Telehandler in the water
This article is reprinted from Vertikal.net, published on May 5, 2023.
A telehandler working on a project for Network Rail, in the UK, overturned into a canal last week, when the bank gave way.
The telehandler, a five metre/3,500kg JCB 535 from the Ardent fleet was apparently lifting material to be used on the project to shore up the nearby railway embankment. Reaching the line at this point is quite difficult, but a bridge – Stanton’s Bridge – carries a track from the main A419 London road south of Stroud in Gloucestershire.
We understand that the telehandler was lifting a section of a temporary bridge/pontoon that has been installed to cross the canal, rather than using the small bridge. As the machine took the load the bank collapsed causing it to overturn into the water. The operator was able to jump clear and was uninjured. It was fortunate that the telehandler was not facing in the opposite direction.
There has been some diesel and oil spill into the water, but measures have been taken to contain and recover it. A week on and the telehandler is still in the water.
We have asked Network Rail if it wished to comment. There is also the main contractor and a sub-contractor involved. We have their names but have yet to categorically confirm their involvement – or not. Network Rail has now responded, a spokesperson said: “On Tuesday 25 April, a telehandler operated by one of our contractors became unstable in muddy conditions and subsequently slipped into the canal in Stroud. Fortunately, no one was hurt during this incident. Specialist teams worked to remove the telehandler from the water and safeguard the environment.” We have also had confirmation now that the principal contractor is Sisk, and the subtractor is Ballycommon.
This looks like a classic case of operator error or perhaps more likely poor planning. We will update if and when we learn more.
Worker Killed on I-40 in North Carolina in a Hit-And-Run
This article is reprinted from roadsbridges.com, originally published on May 3, 2023.
A driver has been arrested after a hit-and-run on Interstate 40 this morning according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Around 3 A.M., a fatal collision that ended the life of a construction worker occurred on I-40 near Jones Sausage Road at mile marker 303. Three lanes were closed as police investigated the hit-and-run. They reopened at 8:07 A.M.
According to police, an SUV traveling eastbound entered an active work zone that occupied three lanes, hitting and killing a worker in the work zone. The driver hit construction equipment, then attempted to flee the scene on foot. He was caught near the crash site.
The victim has been identified as 33-year-old Claude Tyler Bryant, from Rocky Mount.
According to troopers, the driver is 20-year-old Jeyson Alexander Murcia-Guillen of Smithfield. Troopers said speeding and alcohol contributed to the fatal crash.
Alexander has been charged with:
- Felony death by vehicle
- Felony hit and run injury/death
- Failure to move over – injury/death
- Driving after consuming – under 21
- No operators license
- Careless and reckless driving to endanger
- Resisting, delaying, and/or obstructing a public officer (RDO)
- Fictitious registration
- Operating a vehicle with no liability insurance
- Failure to maintain lane control
Troopers said additional charges are a possibility as the investigation continues.
Alexander was transported to the Wake County Detention Center and received a $1 million secured bond.
Fatal tower crane incident
This article is reprinted from Vertikal.net, published on May 15, 2023. There are several videos at the original link as well about the incident.
The jib of a tower crane woking on the top of a 31 storey building in Taichung, Taiwan, broke away last week and fell onto a rapid transit train waiting in the station below, killing one and injuring nine others.
The luffing jib tower crane was being dismantled last Wednesday when the incident occurred. So far, we have been unable to ascertain what went wrong.
The jib crashed through the roof of the rapid transit station on the Green Line of the Taichung Metro smashing into one of the passenger carriages, while also causing damage to the front of the train. part of it also landed in the busy road below the elevated train line.
Police said that two elementary school students were among the injured passengers and that their feet were cut by falling glass. The passenger who died was a 52 year old woman, who had suffered severe head trauma and showed no vital signs when the emergency services arrived and was declared dead in the ambulance.
The investigation into cause of the incident is ongoing. We will of course update this item if and when we learn more.
If you see an accident report you’d like us to feature in the blog, like the ones shown here in the May 2023 Accidents Reports, let us know. Contact heather@cranes101.com with the information.