14.11.2007

Accident update

We reported on an accident yesterday that occured in Ocala, Florida on Sunday afternoon, involving what was said to be a truck mounted lift that tipped over when the ground gave way into a septic tank.

We can now confirm that the machine involved in that accident which killed Theodore Visneski, 52, was in fact a straight telescopic self propelled boom lift.,

Additionally it has now been revealed that Visneski had in fact finished trimming his trees and was simply giving his 23 year old son and 10 year old daughter a ride in the lift when it tipped over after one of its wheels ran over and broke the cover of the homes septic tank causing the machine to tip over. The basket with its three occupants came crashing down into the street barely a metre from passing traffic.

Visneski’s son Gary, 23, is still in a coma with critical head injuries, while his daughter Ashley has a broken leg but is likely to make a full recovery.

The three were between 10 and 12 metres up in the JLG boom lift that Visneski had borrowed from his work place when the machine tipped over.

Vertikal Comment

Using a big self propelled boom lift is always a risk in a residential area where the high ground bearing pressures that these units exert risks breaking into underground pipes, septic tanks, cellars and other voids.

Even if they do not cause the machine to topple over, as in this case, they can cause huge underground damage.
Much better to use smaller lighter articulated booms, spider lifts, trailer lifts or small truck mounts.

This accident is a particular tragedy as it should never have happened, a) the job had been completed so there was need to be up in the air at all. And b) given that the urge to give the kids a ride or demonstration is strong, if it had been done on ground that was known to be solid the accident would not have occurred.

Finally there were three people up in a two person platform.

We have removed yesterday’s report, given that the information that we originally received that the lift was a ‘bucket truck’, (the name used for utility type truck mounts that are most commonly used for tree trimming, was inaccurate)..