14.08.2020

Fatal crushing incident

A man died on Wednesday after he became wedged between the guardrail of a boom lift's platform and an overhead beam.

The man, 53, was working for waterproofing specialist Soprema on the construction of a building that will house the printing presses for the newspapers L’Est Républicain, Republican Lorrain and Vosges Matin, in Houdemont on the south side of Nancy in eastern France.

He was found by work colleagues with his neck jammed between the top rail of the basket and an overhead beam, just a few metres above the ground. When the emergency services arrived the man had already suffered a cardiac arrest, and in spite of extensive attempts at resuscitation, he could not be revived and was declared dead at the scene.

A photograph from the site shows what looks like a 100ft Haulotte HA32 from the Kiloutou fleet. But we have not been able to confirm that this was the machine that was involved in the incident or not. Work at the site was suspended and the local police have launched an investigation into what happened.
Please register to see all images