27.08.2009

Loose boom section proves fatal

A 48 year old man died Wednesday in Queens, New York, after a boom section slipped out of an articulated loader crane striking him in the head.

The accident happened on Throgs Neck Bridge as William Barnes was unfolding his articulated loader crane from the controls at the side of the vehicle. It seems that one of the sections, possibly a manual one, slid out of the boom onto his head and neck, he died at the scene.
Please register to see all images

The scene on Wednesday

Barnes was an electrician for Tri-State Electric Contracting, which had been subcontracted for renovation work on the bridge.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched an investigation.