02.06.2007

Where’s the crane gone?

Motorists in Poole faced traffic chaos yesterday after a loader crane was ripped off of its truck after it hit a footbridge on Dorset Way. The vehicle is owned and operated by Southern Brick and Tile Co of Abingdon.

The crane’s boom, which had not been stowed properly, smashed into the underside of the footbridge leaving the crane, its sub-frame and a load of debris scattered across the dual carriageway.
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The main part of the crane left in the road

The falling crane gouged large grooves into the road surface and caused significant damage to the underside of the bridge.

The eastbound carriageway of the Dorset Way was closed for two hours, causing traffic tailbacks while highway workers cleared hydraulic fluid off the road.

The driver of the truck pulled over around 200 metres on from the footbridge.

A spokesman for the company said: "The driver had just collected some materials and unfortunately he had forgotten to put the crane down, so it was a simple case of driver error I'm afraid”.

"The crane is used to lift things on and off the lorry. We have lost the entire crane and the accident caused considerable damage to the lorry."