16.07.2010

Loader crane boom strikes bus

A man was killed earlier today and eight others injured when a double decker bus ran into the boom of a loader crane working in the inside lane of the three lane Chai Chee Street.

The operator of the crane, mounted on a tree-pruning truck, was getting ready to stow its boom when the bus, passing on the right-hand side struck it. The boom smashed through the upper floor windows hitting some of the passengers.
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Police said that a 50 year old Malay man sitting on the front left of the bus died from his injuries shortly after he was struck. Three others were taken to hospital while the rest of the passengers were treated at the scene. A 33 year old employee of the landscaping contractor, thought to have been operating the crane, was arrested at the scene for causing death through negligence.
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A closer loosk shows how the boom penetrated the bus

Vertikal Comment

This is a very tragic accident and demonstrates the importance of proper cordoning off and then ensuring that all parts of the crane or platform remain within that cordoned off area.

This applies not only at ground or car level, but higher up where a truck or bus is likely to hit, a fact that many users often overlook.