Sad Day Today - Tower Crane Collapse in Seattle

audioluvr

I report, with a heavy heart, I have lost a couple of fellow tower crane operators today. Horrible accident in Seattle during disassembly, killing 4 people. Two operators and two pedestrians. Apparently a wind gust caught them off guard.

https://katu.com/news/local/crane-falls-on-multiple-cars-on-boren-and-mercer-blocking-eastbound-lanes

verb

audioluvr wrote: »

With a heavy heart I have lost a couple of fellow tower crane operators today. Horrible accident in Seattle during disassembly, killing 4 people. Two operators and two pedestrians. Apparently a wind gust caught them off guard.

https://katu.com/news/local/crane-falls-on-multiple-cars-on-boren-and-mercer-blocking-eastbound-lanes

OMG that’s terrible! Very sorry to hear brother. All my thoughts and prayers go out to them and their families

BlueFox

Yes another terrible accident. I always wonder why they don’t collapse more often since they seem so fragile.

nooshinjohn

Terrible accident... Prayers for all lost or affected by this.

audioluvr

They are actually quite stout. Seattle and other coastal cities have issues with weird wind gusts that can swirl around tall buildings causing them to rock uncontrollably. I don't know the details on this yet but I suspect error in disassembly procedures combined with high winds. People don't realize how much wind there is up there. A 10 mph wind on the ground can be 45 or more at the top of a tower crane.

Tony M

Sorry to hear about this.

I read 23 mph. gusts.

Is that gust speed really enough to cause an accident? I know they withstand 4X that when they are in operational position.

I guess 23+ is bad news when disassembling one huh?

I drove a lowly boom truck and knew of the serious dangers that something falling from my outstretched boom up to 35ft. could do to something or GOD forbid somebody. I always was afraid of a freak accident. A hose busting has happened to me twice. bringing the one section falling down quite quickly with nothing to stop it.

I've had a couple of dumb people walk under my boom with 3000lbs. of drywall in the forks once. Same jobsite and a minute apart. I brought the load back to my truck and demanded better security measures on the ground. It was a WOW moment and then another WOW. Young people about 18 to 21 I would guess they were. Thank God in all the years nobody ever got hurt that I heard of from boom truck accidents. I had a co-worker who was hired to operate a boom that was an idiot. A few of us told the managers to NOT LET HIM operate a boom truck. They ignored us. He hit a powerline and about killed himself and some carpenters but LUCKILY nobody got electrocuted.

That was his last delivery but nobody told us they should've listened to 30 years of experienced boom delivery technicians advice. NOOOO.

I always hoped for the best and planned for the worst.

I'm sorry for what happened to that crane disassembly procedure and the lives forever affected by it including yours and those who know you.

Just like with that highway traffic stoppage that the Semi truck plowed into killing so many and injuring dozens more. We NEVER know, do we?

Please let us know further details as to why it happened. The gusts of wind higher than 23 or whatever, let us know more, please.

pitdogg2

Man that is terrible been watching on the news. My uncle used to do that work his business was called Big Hook. Scary stuff I've heard a lot of stories.
He retireed 10 yrs ago.

WagnerRC

Horrible accident. Prayers to all the families involved. We did have odd weather this afternoon.

audioluvr

Those gust reports were at the airport maybe 50 feet off the ground in an open area. That gust at the top of a 350 ft. tower would have been 65-75 mph

Tony M

That makes more sense why the crane bent and broke.

SAD!

BlueFox

Still I always wonder why the wind doesn’t blow through them since they are mostly open. I guess we just need even stronger metal for these machines.

pitdogg2

Same reason wind catches spokes on a bicycles. All that still catches wind which creates turbulence and drag.

nooshinjohn

BlueFox wrote: »

Still I always wonder why the wind doesn’t blow through them since they are mostly open. I guess we just need even stronger metal for these machines.

Being mostly open is exactly why the wind doesn't take them down. But up top where the cab is seems to take a lot of force. One thing is certain.... that job is no joke and not for the faint of heart.

audioluvr

John, Agreed. The ironworkers who do this work are a special breed of men. I'd say a few expletives to describe them but I'll let you fill in the blanks. Every time I'm up there with them during assembly/ disassembly I just cringe at some of the crazy ship they do with absolutely no care or concern for their own safety sometimes. Great bunch of guys though.

kharp1

Sorry to hear this. I received my crane operator's license 2 years ago, and, I can say with 100% certainty that I hope my company NEVER calls on me to operate one. Its a responsibility I don't want. I'm surprised there aren't more incidents like this. It's a delicate balancing act.

You're absolutely correct about the high beam iron workers...that's a different breed of cat.

nooshinjohn

kharp1 wrote: »

Sorry to hear this. I received my crane operator's license 2 years ago, and, I can say with 100% certainty that I hope my company NEVER calls on me to operate one. Its a responsibility I don't want. I'm surprised there aren't more incidents like this. It's a delicate balancing act.

You're absolutely correct about the high beam iron workers...that's a different breed of cat.

I hope you never get that call too. It takes a certain kind of adrenalin to go 400 feet up into a little box that can sway 25 feet or more from center with TONS of weight under you and a glass floor to see what you are doing. No thanks.

https://youtu.be/4qBkrTRRado

audioluvr

Can't beat the video though...

kharp1

nooshinjohn wrote: »

kharp1 wrote: »

Sorry to hear this. I received my crane operator's license 2 years ago, and, I can say with 100% certainty that I hope my company NEVER calls on me to operate one. Its a responsibility I don't want. I'm surprised there aren't more incidents like this. It's a delicate balancing act.

You're absolutely correct about the high beam iron workers...that's a different breed of cat.

I hope you never get that call too. It takes a certain kind of adrenalin to go 400 feet up into a little box that can sway 25 feet or more from center with TONS of weight under you and a glass floor to see what you are doing. No thanks.

https://youtu.be/4qBkrTRRado

Oh, no, I'm not certified for those guys. That's a whole different level.

tophatjohnny

Prayers for the families involved. So sad and another reminder of how precious each day we live really is.

Milito

Horrible news, prayers for families and friends.

afterburnt

BlueFox wrote: »

Still I always wonder why the wind doesn’t blow through them since they are mostly open. I guess we just need even stronger metal for these machines.

Half mass times velocity squred is a ****

audioluvr

Update: The two construction workers killed were the ironworker "connectors" with the A/D company. Still haven't heard who but rest assured I knew them. Once the jib and counter-jib was removed the operator and tech would have climbed down otherwise there would have been more fatalities. Time lapse video shows the assist crane was just about to remove the cab and slewing ring when the squall hit so they unhooked and boomed down to wait out the storm. The guys on the tower probably got in the cab to get out of the heavy rains. The problem with wind is once you add rain you add mass which greatly increases force. This sucks.