26.10.2026

Lucky escapes all round

A couple of hundred people had a lucky escape on Saturday, in São Paulo, Brazil, after a six axle All Terrain crane overturned, with its fully extended main boom landing on the elevated track of the Line15-Silver Monorail.

The boom was then struck by a driverless train travelling at full speed, sending it crashing down onto the busy road and passing traffic below.

The crane, either a 300 or 400 tonner, was set up in the yard of crane rental company Cortesia Equipamentos, with the seven or eight section boom fully extended over the front. As it went over sideways, the boom came down on at least nine of the company’s other mobile cranes parked in the yard. At least two of them are clearly badly damaged.

The crane operator jumped clear of the cab as it went over and suffered an injury to his foot. Miraculously, no one in the road or in the train was hurt in the incident

Initial reports from the police indicated that the ground had given way beneath the crane’s outriggers on one side. The photos we have from the yard are not clear enough to be certain, but an initial glance suggests it might have been short-rigged on that side.

The track was inspected and went into operation later that day, albeit at reduced speeds. The road was also clear by Sunday,

The Public Security Secretariat (SSP) has said: “The 42nd Police District (Parque São Lucas), is investigating the incident and has already collected statements from the civil guards, metro workers, company representatives and witnesses. A team from the Engineering Unit of the Technical-Scientific Police also carried out the initial work on site, which was preserved for examination.”

A statement from Grupo Cortesia, accepted responsibility for the damage caused by the crane, adding “We sincerely regret the crane accident that occurred at our headquarters in São Paulo. We are monitoring developments in the case and cooperating fully with the authorities to clarify the facts.”

The incident was captured on numerous cameras and video feeds, see below for a local news video and links to a couple of other videos with CCTV footage.


You tube shorts 1

Youtube shorts 2

Vertikal Comment

Just a brief comment at this stage.
This could have been such a major disaster if the train had derailed and dropped, along with the boom, onto the cars below.
The amazing thing is that while drivers can clearly see the leaning boom and the damage, they move into the open lanes and fearlessly drive underneath.