02.08.2007

Crane accident still a mystery

It was 4:00 am in the morning last Wednesday when a cranes boom came crashing through the roof of a house in a quiet cul de sac in Regina, Canada.
Please register to see all images

A second crane arrives to recover the first.

The crane owned by local rental company Giesbrecht Cranes Ltd was replacing a one tonne transformer located on a pylon in the back garden. The faulty one had been successfully removed and the crane was lifting the replacement into position with around 36 metres of boom out, over the rear when it suddenly tipped and crashed into the house.

A family of six was asleep in the house but fortunately none were injured. The crane operator bumped his head but was not seriously injured.

A second crane was brought in from Giesbrecht to recover the stricken one, both cranes were able to leave the scene by 9:00am.

Giesbrecht Crane issued the following statement on July 27th.

“Gerald Giesbrecht, president of Giesbrecht Cranes. sends out his deepest regrets for the incident which sent one of his company’s cranes into a private Regina home.”

“We’ve been around for 35 years and have had an impeccable safety record up until this point. Our company is doing everything it can to make sure an incident like this never happens again and we’re extremely thankful that there were no injuries.”

“We’ve determined that the crane was functioning properly and we’re working with all of the parties involved to pinpoint what transpired.”

“Giesbrecht is a long running family owned and operated business with deep roots in the community. What has happened is extremely upsetting to all of those involved. For Giesbrecht Cranes our most valuable asset is our reputation.”

“Giesbrecht Cranes has a fleet made up of the newest, most top-of-the-line equipment available in Saskatchewan. All of their cranes are certified and come complete with all safety devices – safety is definitely top of mind at all times. The company is committed to maintaining their high standard of excellence in the community.”

Vertikal Comment

There are not so many things that cause a mobile crane to tip over like this, barring a rare structural failure, either the outriggers are not set properly, the ground gives way or the crane is overloaded. While no one is saying anything, it is hard not to conclude that overloading was the cause, time will tell.

The amazing thing about this incident is that a large mobile crane was permitted to pull into a quiet residential area at 4:00 am and then lift over the roof of an occupied house.

Local power officials complained about the lack of back alleys in new developments that allow boom trucks to do this job from the rear of the property, however there are cranes available that can easily access such areas.