15.08.2005

Italian crane maker files for Bankruptcy

Paolo de Nicola, the Italian producer of large specialised gantry type cranes, used in bridge construction has filed for protection under Italy’s bankruptcy laws. A hearing for creditors has been scheduled for September 21 in Padova.

A Paolo de Nicola crane was involved in a fatal accident last year in Toledo, Ohio, The contractor on that project, Fru-Con Construction Corp, filed a suit against the crane manufacturer at the end of last year over liability for the damages incurred in the collapse, in which four men were killed and four others injured.
See Mystery surrounds Crane collapse March 2004

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the accident was most likely caused by Fru-Con's failure to follow the crane manufacturer's instructions for securing the cranes' legs during lifting operations.

Fru-Con claim that the manufacturer did not allow for the bow or horizontal radius, in the bridge," and for “incomplete welds," stating that "numerous field corrections" were required on the equipment. A second, identical crane, also working on the job, was returned to service after the initial investigation.