07.12.2022

Fatal crane and access incident

A man has died following an incident involving a boom lift and a lattice crawler crane in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Monday.

We understand from Fort Lauderdale Fire & Rescue that the crane - an aging Clark crawler crane with a pile driver on the hook - was working on a bridge extension, part of the $153 million highway improvement project on a section of Interstate 95, when it suddenly tilted forward due to a section of the bridge deck giving way under one of the crane’s tracks. As a result of the sudden movement a concrete pile within the pile driver frame broke free and struck the boom of a self-propelled boom lift which had been working alongside with two men in the platform.
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The Clark crawler tilted forward dropping the pile onto the boom lift

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The lift overturned causing the platform and its two occupants to fall 10 to 11 metres onto the bridge deck. They were taken to hospital, with one of them in a critical condition, while the other was reportedly stable. The first man - father of two - Joseph Bienaime, 47, died within 12 hours of his arrival at the hospital. The crane was working for the de Moya Group, which was contracted by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Three members of the emergency services and a police officer were involved in a crash while responding to the incident and were also taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries. OSHA - the Occupational Safety & Health Administration - arrived on site as did the owners of the crane. Allegiance crane was called on to help stabilise and recover the crawler crane.



More details can be found on a CBS Miami video in which a senior Fire and rescue person is interviewed.