26.10.2008

Crane tips in NSW

The operator of a 150 tonne mobile crane, Zoran Matich, 44, was trapped in his cab for four hours on Friday after the cane tipped while lifting a 42 tonne wind turbine at the Port Kembla grain terminal in New South Wales, Australia.

Matich, managing director of Universal Cranes Wollongong, was pinned on his stomach within the crushed interior of the cabin, which had become wedged against a steel beam, he managed to escape with a fractured right leg.
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The stricken crane and truckmounted lift

The rescue was made more difficult by the fact that diesel fuel from the cranes tank was spraying onto the side of the cab causing concern to the emergency services as they worked to free Matich’s legs.

A truck mounted aerial lift was brought in to lift a rescue worker up to the tank in order to stem the leak.

Apart from the fact that the crane was lifting a large load for its capacity, there is no indication of what might have caused the crane to go over. No one else was injured in the incident.

WorkCover officials carried out an investigation of the site before two 250 tonne cranes arrived to recover the crane. Universal Cranes operates form six locations and has a substantial fleet of Crawler, Mobile, and tower cranes. It is also the Australian partner of Belgium based international lifting specialist, Sarens.