16.09.2020

Two cranes collide in Austin, Texas

A tower crane collided with the jib of a crawler crane earlier today in Austin, Texas, with 22 people sustaining injuries, most of them minor. 16 people were reportedly taken to hospital for further treatment of checks. We understand that all have now been released.

According to the emergency services, a site meeting was being held at the time when the tip of the tower crane jib caught up with the crawler crane pulling its jib off, although the jib remained attached with its pendant lines. It is hard to see what might have dropped and caused the reported injuries.
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Those injured were reportedly standing below and struck by falling debris. The tower crane operator remained in his cab to ensure the crane did not cause further damage or collapse. The area has been cleared and the emergency services are awaiting the arrival of a crew from Maxim Crane Works which owns both the tower crane and crawler crane.
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A closer view of the jib

We will of course update this report when we learn more. The cranes are working on the construction of a new multi storey car park and six storey office block. The main contractor is Cadence McShane which has issued the following statement: "At Cadence McShane Construction Company, our number one concern is the health and safety of our employees. Today in east Austin there was an incident involving two cranes. Thankfully, there have been no life threatening injuries, but we are investigating the incident with the Authorities Having Jurisdiction. We are in close contact with our subcontractors, local authorities, and our on site team to better understand what transpired. More importantly, we are working with the crane subcontractor and the fire department to ensure the damaged crane is safely dismantled. Since this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot provide additional details at this time."

The following video is raw drone footage from the scene.