06.02.2012
Boom lift goes over in Philadelphia
An 85ft self-propelled boom lift tipped over yesterday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The accident happened outside the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul yesterday afternoon as a man was working on the rectory of the Cathedral.
The operator, 33, suffered a broken leg from the fall, but was in stable condition in hospital according to police. No one else was injured in the incident. The road was open at the time and with the boom coming down across the street it could easily have been worse.
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The overturned lift
While it has not been confirmed it looks as though the ground gave way under one side of the lift, an 85ft Genie S-85. The unit appears to have been working on the sidewalk with the wheels near the end causing the kerb to break so that the machine dropped off the edge.
With the boom fully retracted and fully elevated the machine would have been back heavy and prone to going over backwards if it dropped off a kerb.
CHris W
Picture clearly shows that the axles aren't even extended on this Genie S85, in which case the boom should not be able to lift past the horizontal position. Indicating either a fault with the boom function dump or a fault with both axle limit switches or have they been bypassed to enable loading/off loading onto transport?