October 2021 Accidents Report

Operator training and equipment inspections are key to preventing job-site accidents.  Sign up for training or schedule your next inspection. But first, read on for the October 2021 accidents we’re reprinting here.

Crane collapses on parking garage at AdventHealth Orlando campus

This article by Jeff Weiner is reprinted from the Orlando Sentinel from October 12, 2021.

a crane collapsed and twisted onto a building in Orlando, FL.
A construction crane on the greater AdventHealth Orlando campus collapsed into a parking garage under construction in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. (Willie J. Allen Jr. / Orlando Sentinel)

One person was taken to a hospital after a construction accident on the AdventHealth Orlando campus Tuesday morning when a crane collapsed onto a parking structure.

According to Orlando Fire Department spokesperson Ashley Papagni, crews arrived at the parking garage about 9:20 a.m., arriving to find the collapsed crane. Firefighters evacuated the construction zone and worked with the Orlando Utilities Commission to shut off power, she said.

Rescuers assessed “close to a dozen” people, Papagni said. One person was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center with traumatic injuries. Another who was injured by debris refused to be taken to the hospital, Papagni said.

The people injured were not publicly identified and it was unclear whether they were workers or bystanders.

“Engineers were on scene evaluating the incident to ensure scene safety. The appropriate agency will be conducting an investigation,” Papagni said, though it wasn’t immediately clear which agency would lead the probe.

Photos showed the red crane’s bent and twisted wreckage wrapped around the top level of a parking garage.

It’s unclear what caused the accident.

“Earlier today, a construction crane on the greater AdventHealth Orlando campus collapsed into a parking garage under construction,” AdventHealth spokesperson José Luis Dieppa said in a statement. “One person was transported to a hospital and several others were evaluated on-scene. We are working with our construction partners to learn more.”

Excavator hits railroad bridge in Belchertown

This article is reprinted from WWLP.com, which has video shot from the driver behind the truck in the the accident on October 13, 2021.

a truck carrying an excavator crashed into a bridge.
This is a still from the original video posted with the article.

BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (WWLP) – A railroad overpass bridge in Belchertown remains operable after an excavator hit it Tuesday afternoon.

A video sent to 22News from Cooper Ferguson shows a driver towing an excavator approaching the railroad overpass on N Washington Street in Belchertown at around 2:40 p.m. Not sure if the excavator is going to fit, the video shows the hydraulic arm hit the bridge, creating it to lift on impact.

According to David Squires from the Belchertown Police Department, the driver was not cited for this incident and the railroad company was contacted to determine the ultimate damage.

22News contacted the New England Central Railroad (NECR) for any damage reports from the incident. Tom Ciuba, Vice President of Communications at Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services, says an engineer inspected the bridge and found no significant damage. NECR is able to run without any service disruption.

For those interested in what Cooper said in the video, he told 22News he said, “I’m so glad I recorded this. What are the odds.” Then he called the police to reported the accident.

Person freed, hospitalized after trench collapse at Garden of the Gods Road construction site

This article was reprinted from the KKTV.com from October 20, 2021. A video accompanies the original piece.

Scene at excavator accident in Colorado
This photo is taken from the CSFD Twitter account.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Firefighters have freed a construction worker trapped by a trench collapse Wednesday morning.

Firefighters were first called to the 1900 block of West Garden of the Gods Road at 9:20 a.m.

“We were dispatched to report of a possible trench collapse. That means basically they were digging, putting in some utilities underground, and some of the dirt might’ve fallen in on somebody that was working in there,” said Colorado Springs Fire Department spokesperson Capt. Mike Smaldino.

After assessing the scene, Fort Carson’s Heavy Rescue Team was called to assist.

“We train with them quite a bit, and so it adds some technical hands for us,” Smaldino said.

The firefighters worked methodically for the next hour to safely extricate the worker from the trench.

“We don’t want to just rush in there. Because you don’t know how things get trapped when dirt falls. What you think might be somebody standing up and down, they might actually have a leg that’s pushed out to the side that we can’t find, so you just don’t want to go digging around in there until you find out where the individual is.”

Paramedics were able to treat the worker for some of his injuries during the extrication process.

“What we can do is put somebody in there and actually start treating, so as we were getting into the hole we already had our fire paramedics, they were treating the individual from up top. Start an IV, started giving pain meds and basically monitoring vital signs,” Smaldino said.

The victim was trapped up to his thighs, largely in dirt but also in some other debris. He was finally freed by about 10:30 a.m. and rushed to the hospital for potential trauma to his legs.

“Obviously, as dirt would come up if they were trapped further and further into their body you start worry about other things. An injury that might be compartment syndrome so it might be a crushing injury but as soon as we start relieving some of that dirt and a pressure we might actually have internal bleeding that’s why I can’t say what all the injuries are,” Smaldino said.

The construction site was on the property of Keysight Technologies a few blocks east of 30th Street. The company sent the following statement to 11 News:

“Keysight is thankful that no one was seriously injured as the safety of everyone working at our sites is of utmost importance. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.”

If you see an accident report you’d like us to feature in the blog, like the ones shown here in the September 2021 Accidents Reports, let us know. Contact heather@cranes101.com with the information.

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