11.11.2009

Boom goes down in Kansas

An articulated boom lift tipped over yesterday in Kansas City killing one of its two occupants.

The two men were steelworkers installing beams from the platform of a 125ft/ 38 metre JLG 1250AJP when it went over backwards.
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An overview of the accident scene

The men, both of whom were in their 30s, were working at a height of around 20 to 25 metres and both were reported to have been wearing harnesses with short lanyards. However one man- Ryan Goodman, 35, died from his injuries while the other, Shane Wagener, 30, is reported to be serious but stable in a Kansas City hospital.

Photos from the scene provide little indication of what may have caused the accident, local reports say that the conditions were windy, and there appear to be a set of lifting chains in the platform. The basket came to rest on the bed of a truck load of steel beams.
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The fallen boom

The telescopic riser /lower boom, was telescoped roughly half way but looks as though it was not fully raised, although this could easily be the distorted perspective from the photograph or its tipped position. The ground conditions look to be sound.

The boom, owned by United Rentals, was working on the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The men were working for Detroit-based subcontractor Midwest Steel, according to the Kansas City-based general contractor JE Dunn Construction Group.
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The boom came down accross a trailer load of steel

The site was closed for the day and is likely to reopen tomorrow. It is the first serious accident on the site which opened in 2006.

Dan Euston. president of JE Dunn said: "We have an onsite safety team down there and are working with investigators, both local and any federal agencies, to determine what caused this accident. We're very deeply saddened by this event. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the families."