Crane Accidents Enhanced Reports

Crane Related Accidents
February 2000

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February Reports Received: 10
February Deaths: 9
Accident Reports Received for 2000: 21
Deaths to date for 2000: 13 (reported to this site)
Late reports are included in the above numbers.

1999 Statistics

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.

Enhanced Reports — February 2000

7/28/00 Late report: Florida — Accident happened on February 3, 2000. Kohler Construction Company, Inc.

This is the second electrocution of a Kohler Construction Company employee at a Florida construction site within the past three years. See 2/26/00 incident below

4/18/00 Late report: Saturday, February 12, 2000 — Crane comes crashing down
Jere Burns, an employee of Buncher Co., picks up cable yesterday from the parking lot of AT&T Cable Services on the 300 block of Corliss Street in Elliott. A crane tipped over in the lot yesterday morning as it attempted to remove a sign. Pittsburgh police said the crane operator, Joe Eddington, suffered a facial injury and was transported to Allegheny General Hospital. One of the crane's stabilizers gave out, causing it to tip over, police said.

4/18/00 Late report: Lakeland, Florida, Tuesday, February 1, 2000
Wrecks involving a crane truck and a tanker truck forced temporary closures of lanes on Interstate 4 and U.S. 98 in north Lakeland.

2/26/00: Florida — On Monday a worker was electrocuted and severely burned in Naples, Florida. The story is reliable as I personally know most involved and I am friend with the worker that was hurt. The story I received is as follows: A mechanic for a pile driving company was operating the yard crane when he managed to contact power lines around the yard. The ground man working with him (young 18-20) was electrocuted and severely burned and taken to the hospital.
<name deleted>

2/22/00: Crane on lorry hits flyover | Dead Link |
Heavy metal: workers check the damage after a lorry driver, who did not lower his crane, crashed into a flyover in Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen. Picture by Mark Ralston

2/15/00: Waukegan, Illinois — Waste hauler killed when boom falls | Dead Link |

Late report. Discovered the following on 2/15/00: March 27, 1999 accident in China
| Dead Link |

2/14/00: UK — Student climbs 200 ft. crane boom and falls to his death.

2/15/00 Update: Crane was a dare 'foolhardy' son could not resist | Content of linked page has changed |

2/11/00: UK — 3 killed as crane ploughes across M-way
| Dead Link |

More from another source.

06/23/01 update: lorry driver gets 5 years for causing accident | Dead Link |

2/6/00: ~~Houses shake as mobile crane crashes.~~ Link contents changed
Residents described how their houses shook after a mobile crane collided with a garden wall in Honey Lane, Waltham Abbey, and then ended up on its side. The accident was the result of a mechanical failure with the crane.

2/2/00: Milford, Connecticut. (AP) -- Two people were killed and at least two others injured when a crane collapsed Wednesday at a power plant construction site.
| Dead Link |

06/12/02: Contractor files suit in fatal crane collapse

Website for consulting engineering firm Black & Veach

WTNH with lots of video coverage.

Note 2/3/00: As more information comes in it appears this may not be classified as a crane accident, but instead should be classified as a construction accident. A steel structure falling onto a crane is not a crane accident in the truest sense, unless the crane in some way contributed to the fall of the structure. We'll just have to wait until things unfold to decide if it was truly a crane related accident.

It is now apparent that the above accident was not crane related. The above report numbers were updated accordingly.