Crane tragedy may have been caused by an unsafe practice

Large construction cranes are a common sight when crews are working on multi-story buildings. To many Connecticut residents, these cranes are just a background part of the scenery, despite looking as if they defy physics. It takes precise engineering and maintenance to keep construction cranes standing upright. If one of these massive pieces of machinery were to fall, the devastation would be almost unimaginable.

Unfortunately, this scenario recently occurred in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Times reported that a construction crane collapsed in April, killing two workers and two pedestrians on the street below the worksite. Numerous safety experts analyzed dashboard video footage that captured the accident and surmised that a common construction practice almost certainly caused the crane to topple.

When completely assembled, numerous safety pins keep the sections of a construction crane together, which are supposed to be removed one section at a time when the cranes are dismantled. The safety experts claim that construction crews often remove all the pins at once to save time, which greatly increases the chance of a collapse. Officials are currently investigating the accident to determine if any violations, including the untimely removal of safety pins, resulted in the accident.

Construction companies should ensure that safety protocols are observed at each stage of work, to prevent accidents from harming workers and innocent bystanders alike. If it is determined that a company disregarded safety procedures to save time or money, it may be held liable for the injuries of those impacted in an accident.