24.07.2010
Boom truck tips in NJ
A boom truck delivering and placing an air conditioning unit tipped over on to the Olive Garden restaurant in Voorhees, New Jersey yesterday.
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The boom truck just after the accident
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The outriggers appear to be set correctly
The crane had over 30 metres/100ft of its five section boom extended when it tipped, fortunately there were no injuries and by the looks of the photos we have been sent little damage to the building or the crane.
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The boom truck had most of its main boom extended
The crane was removed by two truck cranes from Thackray Crane Rental of Philadelphia and the restaurant was actually able to reopen for business last night.
Vertikal Comment
The usual cause of accidents like this are incorrect outrigger set up – not set or on soft ground with no mats- in this case though that does not appear to the case- the National crane outriggers automatically come out as they go down and the ground does not seem to have given way.
In which case it is almost certainly down to overloading, possibly by taking the load out to too great a radius, either due to it swinging, or the operator misreading the load chart.
He must though have had the load low down and close to the roof which is what would have prevented this accident from being much nastier and more costly.
claude bourassa
The pictures 2 and 3 show that the rear right outrigger is not out. Totally in. It is one possible cause.
It is enough to tip the machine. The operator was thinking he had the chart of a fully deployement of outriggers. He had a real (smaller) chart not designed by the manufacturer.
Similar boom-trucks tipped that way before. The fall is slow usually.
Need for more interlock control on extending all the outriggers?...