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07.09.2020

Dual tower crane collapse in Russia

Two tower cranes overturned in Tyumen, central Russia, on Wednesday last week in strong hurricane force winds.

The entire incident was caught on video which shows one crane going over and striking and bringing down a second one. One cab landed on the ground, while the other was caught on an adjacent building, helping to lessen the impact. The two crane operators that were in the cabs apparently survived and are now in a stable condition.
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Some reports claimed that three crane had gone over, and that one man was killed in the incident, but we have not been able to corroborate that. One question that ought to be asked is why the operators were still in the cabs in hurricane force winds?

Comments

Mike74
It was indeed an accident involwing 3 cranes. I saw a slightly longer version of the video that you posted here (it was from Reddit I guess). At the end of it, there was a shot from the roof of the building they filmed it all from. It showed the crane that fell full way to the ground, the other that luckilly caught the edge of finished building, and the third one, resting on the top of a building form which the whole film was shot. That third crane must have actually been the first one to fall, and the reason the workers started filming. From what I read, the operator of a crane that went full-way was in a critical state, head injuries alone being severe enough to leave no real hope for him. The other one's state was heavy and the operator of the crane that caught the edge of a building collapsing as last (after being pushed off the rails by the second falling crane and sinking into the soil relatively slowly to fall to it's left side eventually in my opinion) climbed from the cab on his own. And why were they still in the cabs in such conditions? Well, I would say that they were not only up there, but also working, actually. It is a common practice in Eastern Europ countries, that the tower crane opeartators are forced to break the safety rules by the site managers. Who demand operator to be replaced if he refuses to obey, and in most cases DO get the operator replaced by the crane or personnel renting companies, who do not want to loose a client. Trust me - been there, seen that. Firsthand.

Sep 9, 2020