Falling construction crane captured on video

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 01/10/2018 at 13:15 • Filed to: code brown

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Thankfully nobody killed, and only one worker transported with non-life threatening injuries. Video of Code Brown moment in story.

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HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn 01/10/2018 at 13:25

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So what was dingus McGee doing standing on that wall section in the first place? I mean I guess there could be a legit reason but I can’t picture one.

facw > ttyymmnn 01/10/2018 at 13:28

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I used to drive by this building every day on my way home from work:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/watch-dramatic-video-of-parking-garage-collapse-in-houston/

Didn’t see the parking garage collapse (thankfully the equipment operators were ok). Did drive through the dense dust cloud when they brought down the main building.

random001 > ttyymmnn 01/10/2018 at 13:30

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Holy poop!

ttyymmnn > facw 01/10/2018 at 13:33

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Damn. That guy was lucky.

ttyymmnn > HammerheadFistpunch 01/10/2018 at 13:34

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Site Manager? The phone....it’s for you. Some guy from OSHA or something...”

Takuro Spirit > facw 01/10/2018 at 13:46

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Same thing for me with Miller Park and the Big Blue collapse. Killed three workers.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ttyymmnn 01/10/2018 at 13:48

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I witnessed a similar accident in the early 2000's. The wall fell as did the crane boom, it killed at least one worker. Very sad. The job site was quiet for about a month and then the workers showed up again and finished the building.

ttyymmnn > Takuro Spirit 01/10/2018 at 13:54

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Sadly, this is what happens when somebody doesn’t do the math.

An investigation revealed that although the effects of side winds on the crane itself had been calculated, it had not been considered for the load the crane was lifting.

Quadradeuce > ttyymmnn 01/10/2018 at 14:03

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I have a standing rule that no one can stand under the arm of our jib crane at work, no matter the load. And I have no idea why those guys needed to be there. It’s no like they could help handle the load.

ttyymmnn > Quadradeuce 01/10/2018 at 14:05

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Complacency.

Svend > ttyymmnn 01/10/2018 at 14:42

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Surely there is an lcd screen in the cab to measure the weight of the item as it’s lifting, an alarm that sounds if the boom is over it’s weight limit or close to it, etc...?

ttyymmnn > Svend 01/10/2018 at 14:44

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No idea. It looks like they had already lifted many sections into place, so perhaps it was more of a fault with the rigging.

Sovande > ttyymmnn 01/10/2018 at 14:48

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I used to operate a crane for work, mind you, a much smaller crane. I tipped it once. Nothing like running the RPM’s to the moon as you try to cable down to get the load on the ground as the crane slowly tips. I got lucky and got the load on the ground and the crane back up before anything bad happened, but it was not a proud moment.

ttyymmnn > Sovande 01/10/2018 at 14:51

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I imagine it’s a lot harder than it looks. And that things get exponentially more difficult with the size of the load and the crane.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Svend 01/10/2018 at 15:26

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The lifting eye on the precast piece came loose and shock loaded the rig. Then it was all over, possibly side loaded the boom when the rigging let go.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > ttyymmnn 01/10/2018 at 15:29

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You can see the upper right anchor on the wall section let go and that starts the collapse.

Had the crane not been swinging when the parts broke loose, they might have saved the rig. But since they were swinging too, when that rigging broke, it looks like it took the rig with it. That’s a bad day for sure. Good thing nobody was killed. Wow.

bshappy > Svend 01/10/2018 at 16:19

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Yes, modern cranes have computer that monitors the load on the hook and will not allow you to lift a load outside of the crane’s capacity unless you physically override it (generally by turning a dedicated key).

In this case the rigging failed. Operator had no chance.

Sovande > ttyymmnn 01/10/2018 at 18:15

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I loved it. There is a certain art and grace to running a big piece of machinery and gently picking heavy things up placing said heavy things in just the right spot. There is also a certain amount of humble pie that must be eaten when all of that goes terribly wrong.

My favorite was loading 4000 pound cement anchors onto a barge while the crane was positioned well above the barge on a sea wall. I did it solo and mastered the art of “bouncing” the anchors to get them to stop spinning on the hook.

ttyymmnn > Sovande 01/10/2018 at 18:22

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I can absolutely see how there would be a sense of pride in mastering some big machine like that. The union crane operators, the ones on the big sites in NYC, or on the docks, can make six figures.

bubblestheturtle > Svend 01/10/2018 at 21:18

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The upper right attachment broke loose. Then mechanical physics.