13.09.2021

Fatal UK crane incident - UPDATED

A man has died this morning after he was crushed by the load as a mobile crane tipped in Bristol, UK this morning.

The small truck crane, owned by Burcombe Crane Hire, was lifting a hot tub into the back garden of a home in the Mangotsfield area of the city, when it tipped forward. The load dropped onto the man, said to be 73, who was declared dead at the scene. We can confirm that the incident was caused when the rear outriggers suddenly broke through the ground - possibly a void.
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The scene this morning

A statement from the Avon and Somerset police spokesman said: "We were called at 9.26am today to assist the ambulance service at a residential address in Mangotsfield after a man was seriously injured by a heavy load which had fallen from a crane. Tragically, the man, aged in his 70s, was pronounced deceased at the scene. His next of kin have been informed and our thoughts go out to them. Police enquiries are ongoing at the scene in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive.”

The following video footage shows HSE inspectors on site as part of the investigation into the incident.


We will update this as and when we learn more.

UPDATE
The large hot tub was being lifted on the full boom, using the auxiliary hoist and boom nose in single line operation when it tipped. Reports indicate that the man was associate with the crane company BUT have not been able to confirm that.

UPDATE 2
We can now sadly confirm that the man who died is company founder and joint owner Michael Burcombe, 73. If our sources are correct then his son Ashley was operating the crane at the time while his grandson was guiding the load.

Vertikal Comment

While there are all manner of things that might be said about this tragic incident, A 30 year plus crane veteran was observing the lift in what was a truly family affair. What the family must be going through is unimaginable. Our deepest sympathy and condolences go out to them.