08.07.2009

Liverpool crane to be removed today

The tower crane that went over in Liverpool UK on Monday will be removed today, an 800 and 500 tonne All Terrain cranes will apparently be used to lift the Wolffkran crane from the building.
Click here to see original report and photos
We have yet to hear exactly how the operator is doing, but understand that he is recovering well from his ordeal.

Theories are being published and circulated as to what caused the accident in spite of the fact that no further information has been released. It seems a gust of wind is one of the more popular ones, however the crane was lifting at the time so the jib was loaded and a Vertikal.Net reader who was close by at the time, said that it was an unusually calm morning with no gusts in sight.

The question of course that no one is able to answer, apart from the operator and any riggers, is did the jib go over the back first or did the foundation fail first, causing the jib to go over the back?

We also do not know if the tower broke away at the foundation or at a lower tower section/joint, so in the absence of key information any speculation on the cause is just that ….pure speculation.