Devastating and catastrophic crane accidents often can occur during the dismantling or disassembly of a crane after its task is completed. Such crane dismantling accidents tend to be totally avoidable and often are the result of failures by crews to observe and adhere to proper safety standards.
Examples of Crane Dismantling Accidents
Some examples of crane dismantling accidents include a case in Dallas, Texas in 2012 which led to the deaths of two crane workers. After investigations, the accident was blamed on too early removal of pins, leading to a tower crane mast collapse.
In another case in Seattle, Washington on April 27, 2019, four persons were killed and four others were injured when a crane that had been used in a Google office building construction project fell during its dismantling, or disassembly. The crane fell across a street and its median, crushing six vehicles. Two of the persons killed were occupants of the vehicles. The other two persons killed were ironworkers on the jobsite.
Though high winds were recorded in the area on that day and may have contributed to the crane accident during dismantling, the accident’s chief cause was believed to be premature and improper removal of pins and bolts during the disassembly — just as in the Dallas accident seven years earlier.
The job’s general contractor was fined $25,000, the construction crew was fined $12,00, and the crane’s supplier was fined $70,000 for not making sure that safety instructions for dismantling were followed properly. Imagine how much more this accident cost the four persons who lost their lives and the families of those persons.
New Rules for Avoidable Crane Dismantling Accidents
Soon after the Seattle accident, in June of 2019, the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) issued a hazard alert which reviewed the necessary procedures, responsibilities and roles required during the erection and dismantling of tower cranes. DOSH had found that conditions leading to the collapse in Seattle were not necessarily indicative of an isolated problem, but rather were attributable to procedures which had been practiced throughout the crane industry.
This led DOSH, in November of 2019, to issue new safety regulations which clarified rules for erection or dismantling of tower cranes. DOSH said the Seattle accident was “totally avoidable,” and along with its rules clarifications it established new penalties for tower crane dismantling or erection violations.
This move was made to curtail an industry-wide tendency to remove pins and bolts too early in order to hasten the dismantling process. Such early removal, as seen repeatedly, can be fatal.
Crane Accident Deaths, Injuries Mount
Due to such accidents and other crane mishaps, 220 crane-related deaths occurred during a recent five-year period, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of those crane accident fatalities, almost half occurred in the private construction industry.
In 2019 alone, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recorded 16 crane accidents leading to injuries or deaths of employees working near or operating cranes. Keep in mind that those statistics do not include injuries or deaths of non-employees due to crane accidents during dismantling, lifting or erection of the crane. This doesn’t take into account still more crane accident deaths worldwide.
For instance, in January of 2020 two workers were killed when a tower crane collapsed at a construction site in Incheon, South Korea. This accident, too, occurred during crane dismantling operations. That prompted an investigation into whether or not safety rules had been followed and maintained at the construction site.
Get a Crane Dismantling Accident Lawsuit
Families of the victims of such crane calamities can get a crane dismantling accident lawsuit to protect their legal rights and claim the financial compensation to which they are legally entitled after a devastated dismantling accident.
To get started, families can call us at The Willis Law Firm for a legal case review that is free, confidential and with no obligation. Then, if they decide to engage our experienced law firm for their case, they will not be charged for any up-front legal fees, since we work on a contingency fee basis. That means we aren’t paid unless we win your case, and even then we’re paid only from a part of the settlement money you receive.
Again, crane accidents during dismantling or disassembly tend to be totally avoidable, and those who are responsible for these catastrophes must be held accountable in the legal arena. Let us help you and your family recover financially after a crane accident during dismantling or any other crane accident.
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