14.04.2014

Boom overturn in Germany

A boom lift fell onto a home in Vechta, to the south of Bremen in Germany on Saturday throwing a man from the platform and causing serious and life threatening injuries.

The lift a Nifty articulated 4x4 model, was being used by the man, 53, who worked for a garden service company, to fell a tree, when something caused it to overturn to the rear.

The lift was working from mats placed to protect the grass, and one wheel looks as though it was may have been right on the edge, but this is unlikely to have been the cause of the overturn.
Please register to see all images

The overturned lift

The lift was in set up with the telescopic boom fully retracted and fully elevated on a fully raised riser. The man was not wearing a harness and was thrown on to the roof of the building, where he was stabilised before being taken to a local hospital and then airlifted to a specialist unit.

UPDATE:
The man made a full recovery from his injuries and eventually returned to work.

Vertikal Comment

This is a very unusual incident and had to have come from an external cause. The ground looks fairly level, the machine looks to be in decent condition, even after the incident. The machine itself is a simple rugged unit with no zone limits or restrictions, and no settings to mistake.

Sadly if the man has been wearing a harness with short lanyard he would have stayed in the platform and might have fared significantly better.
Lets hope that he pulls through and can provide more information that might help others avoid the same mistake,