28.05.2008

Crane falls onto freeway

A cab down Rough Terrain crane fell off of the raised ramp it was working on alongside the Marsha Sharp Freeway in Lubbock Texas yesterday, falling across the lanes of the open freeway.
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The fallen Crane as rescue work begins

Thankfully no one was seriously injured and no cars were hit. The crane, a Grove RT58B of some vintage, had around 17 metres of boom extended at the time and was lifting a bulky load.

The operator is reported to have jumped clear of the crane just as it started to tip and remained on the overpass. It looks as though the crane may well have been set up too near to the edge of the three metre or more drop.