12.06.2008

Man killed as crane cable snaps

A concrete mixer driver, Omar Wray, 37, was killed yesterday, in Dallas, Texas, when a crane hook plummeted to the ground after a cable snapped.

According to police Sargent Gil Cerda, the crane operator was raising the hook when the cable snapped and the hook fell on to Wray, who was loading concrete into a skip below.

Last night workers were examining part of an apparently damaged cable on the crane supplied by Lewis Equipment Co. The site is run by Turner Construction however the worker was employed by TX, a subcontractor.

Kevin Messenger, the company's chief operating officer, said in a statement: "there are more questions than answers" about what happened.Federal safety officials will investigate.

Work at the site, which will be a high-rise condominium complex, is on hold until the investigation is complete.