Overview
- A truck-mounted crane toppled onto a recently renovated house while crews were tenting it for termites, and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue says the first 911 call came at about 9:15 a.m. on Thursday.
- A second crane brought in to lift the fallen machine also collapsed onto the roof during the extraction attempt, leaving the house with extensive structural damage.
- Crews spent Friday methodically cutting and disassembling the two cranes, removed one crane from the lawn, planned to cut apart the damaged secondary crane, and contained a leaking diesel tank.
- OSHA inspectors and city building officials remain on scene investigating setup, footing and rigging practices, and the crane company, Cooper Crane, says it is cooperating; no injuries were reported.
- Neighbors say the family had just finished months of renovation and recently moved in, and officials note the collapse adds to local concern about lifting safety after other recent regional rigging incidents.