12.10.2010
Crane leaves the road
A 280 tonne lattice boom truck crane left the road on Friday and plunged into a ditch, after completing a lift in Astoria, Oregon.
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The underside of the overturned crane
The crane, an older Demag on a Faun carrier is owned by Portland based Campbell Crane & Rigging.
It had lifted the retired pilot boat Peacock out of the water and into position in front of the Columbia River Maritime Museum on Thursday and was then stripped down for road travel. It set off on Friday along highway 30 towards Portland when a booster axle is said to have fractured causing the crane to veer off the road near the John Day Country Park.
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The fractured axle
The driver was uninjured, but was taken to hospital as a precaution. A team from Campbells was soon on the scene and managed to extract the stricken crane with the help of a large telescopic by Sunday afternoon.
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The crane is hoisted into out of its predicament
Mark Krajci
It seems that a choice needs to be made. Do we move the cranes in a manner that is good for the road condition and bad for the driving public - like boom dollies, tag axles, etc. OR do we make the movement of cranes safe for the people on the road - the motoring public. Remember it could be your family member in that car or incident affected by the moving of cranes in a less than safe manner!