30.05.2018

Crane jib pierces train

The jib of a tower crane being removed from the crane dropped onto a passing train on Saturday in Switzerland.

The jib had just been lifted from of the crane when one end dropped onto the track just as a train was approaching. Fortunately, the train driver saw the jib and applied the emergency brakes, however the jib tip still pierced the train cab, fortunately the driver and all passengers escaped without injury.
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The jib pierced the drivers cab but fortunately no one was injured

The incident occurred in Schinznach-Bad, roughly half way between Basel and Zurich. The crane is owned and was being dismantled by Swiss company Interkran, which according to police reports has already publicly admitted mistakes. From photos we have been sent, it looks as though a leg or lifting eye on the chain set might have failed, although the photographs are not clear enough to be sure. It is also possible - of course - that any failure occurred after the jib started to drop?

A spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office said: "The public prosecutor's office in Brugg-Zurzach has provisionally opened a criminal investigation against one person" – an employee of the crane company and reportedly a 41 year old Portuguese national.
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It looks as though one of the lifting chain legs might have failed?

According to the spokesman the employee is under investigation for negligent disruption of railway traffic and negligent endangerment due to violation of building regulations. As to the crane company, the prosecutor declined to comment until the preliminary results of an investigation are available.
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It was lucky that no one was injured in the incident