04.06.2007

Tragedy at school

A man working for a utility company, Avista, who had volunteered to help out with an annual experiment/demonstration at the local primary school in Othello, Washington, died on Thursday while a teacher suffered serious injuries in an accident involving a utility boom truck/lift.
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The failed boom lift in Othello

The Avista employee, 50-year-old Bob Smith of Othello, was helping out with Hiawatha Elementary School's annual egg drop. He was in the boom lifts basket with a sixth-grade teacher, Melissa Martinez.

Smith was taken to Othello Community Hospital with severe head injuries and was pronounced dead on arrival. Martinez survived with “non life threatening injuries”.

According to eye witnesses, the Versalift boom of fairly recent vintage, was being lowered to the ground when at around nine metres height it began to rotate suddenly through 180 degrees until the superstructure became detached from the chassis, plunging the basket to the ground.

The entire event occurred in front of around 600 school children all eagerly watching the demonstration.

The state Department of Labor and Industries is now handling the case.


Update

Reports have concluded that six out of 20 slew ring bolts were missing causing the remaining 14 to shear allowing the lifts superstructure to crash to the ground.