Crane Related Accidents
February 2001

ATTENTION! The numbers above indicate there is a great need for more training and safety awareness. Anyone having anything to do with cranes should take heed. The majority of the accidents were caused by human error. Translation: smart people doing dumb things.                                      

02/24/01: Cobb County, Georgia — Man electrocuted while unloading truck  | Cache Copy | A man unloading a truck in Cobb County was electrocuted when the truck came in contact with some power lines. The victim was taking materials out of his 18-wheeler. A crane touched nearby power lines sending a deadly shock through the crane to the material on the truck. Efforts to revive the man failed at the scene. He was pronounced dead at Emory Adventist Hospital. See Phoenix Crane

02/22/01: Fresno, California — Worker crushed to death at Gap project | Dead Link | | Cache Copy below | Metal staircase falls from a crane during expansion work. A heavy metal staircase fell from a crane onto the second floor of the Gap expansion project in Fresno, crushing one construction worker to death and injuring two others. Desi Armenta, 28, of Fresno died in transit to a hospital. Armenta was an employee of Mid State Steel Erectors of Stockton, a subcontractor on the project. The accident broke a second worker's wrist and bruised a third worker's legs, said Fresno police Sgt. Neal Manha; neither of their injuries was life-threatening. Fresno Fire Battalion Chief Timothy Henry said the staircase was being lowered into place about 10:20 a.m. One construction worker stood on top of the staircase with Armenta below, using their strength to “jockey it into position” on the way down when the staircase came loose, pinning Armenta. Armenta's co-workers rushed to free him, joined by rescue crews who later performed CPR. Armenta was reportedly alive when the ambulance left the scene but was declared dead on arrival at University Medical Center at 11:12 a.m. The worker who was standing on top of the staircase when it fell was later discovered to have suffered a broken wrist and was reported in fair condition at Community Medical Center-Fresno. Company Profile: Mid State Steel Erectors, Inc.

02/20/01: Seattle, Washington — Huge crane traps driver; woman pinned in truck for nearly 3 hours | Dead Link | | Cache Copy N/A | 02/27/01: Condition of woman injured in crane accident improves See photo of accident scene 05/05/02: Joann Beffert describes her miraculous escape By Marsha King Seattle Times staff reporter It was like helplessly watching a giant Sequoia fall straight toward you. The monster crane - all 175,000 pounds of it — crashed down in an instant on every side of JoAnn Beffert that snowy Friday morning nearly three months ago. 3/26/02: Woman sues railroad | Cache Copy | See the account and photos of another accident in which a crane toppled unto a woman's vehicle.

02/20/01: Nashville, Tennessee — Man fixing crane gets caught in gears, dies | Cache Copy |

02/09/01: Weatherford, Texas — A Baldwins Industrial Services crane operator electrocuted in Ball Street construction accident | Dead Link | | Cache Copy N/A | Company Profile: Baldwins Industrial Services, Inc. (formerly Phillips Crane & Rigging, Co., Inc.)

02/09/01: Oak Hill, Florida — Tree trimmer electrocuted near Oak Hill in Volusia County A tree trimmer working near power lines was electrocuted when the aerial lift he was using brushed a power line carrying 13,000 volts of electricity. According to a co-worker, “Apparently he misjudged the distance to the lines.” Fire officials said the man was dead when they arrived at the scene. This accident is under investigation by the local sheriff's office and OSHA. As reported by News-Journal Online | Dead Link | | Cache Copy N/A | Contractor: Asplundh Co.

02/09/01: Suffolk, Virginia — Broken boom of crane injures Suffolk worker | Dead Link | | Cache Copy N/A | A Suffolk construction worker escaped serious injury Thursday when the boom of the crane he was working on snapped and he plunged into five feet of water and mud.

02/02/01 Late report received and posted 07/20/01: Walnut Grove, Alabama — Phillip Timothy Robinson, 41, was killed when a crane boom collapsed and fell on him. According to OSHA, on the day of the accident for a bridge construction company, working in Colbert County, employees were removing a 21-foot section from an 80-foot Link-Belt crane. Thompson was standing under the crane and while he was pounding out a pin, the boom collapsed and fell on him. The company was issued a willful citation with a proposed penalty of $63,000 for not properly supporting the boom, which was about six feet off the ground. "Had this employer followed the manufacturer's instructions and OSHA regulations regarding the dismantling of the crane, this fatality would have been avoided," said William A. Burke, acting director of OSHA's Birmingham office. The company also was cited for two alleged safety violations for failing to inspect the crane each day prior to use to make sure it was in safe operating condition, and for failing to properly train employees to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions. The company also received an additional $11,200 proposed penalty for a repeat offense of failing to barricade the accessible rear-swing-radius area of the crane cab so employees could not enter that space and risk being crushed as the cab turned. OSHA Report The company, Clark Construction Company, was cited in 1999 for a similar violation.