Oklahoma Crane Accident Kills Onlooker

Elderly Man Watching Church Steeple Raising Crushed In Car, Wife Injured By Collapse

(AP)  Church members watching the steeple being raised on their new building looked on in horror Thursday as a crane holding the structure toppled, crushing a car and killing an 79-year-old man who had been watching from inside the vehicle, firefighters said.

The man's 78-year-old wife, who was also in the car, was transported to a hospital in good condition, ambulance officials said.

A group of people had gathered in southwest Oklahoma City to watch the installation of the steeple when the crane collapsed in the parking lot, said Deputy Fire Chief Cecil Clay.

Grace Assembly of God Pastor Joe Hancock said the couple were longtime church members.

"Just great people," he said. "It's just a huge loss."

Hancock said he was taking photos from the back of the church when he realized something had gone wrong. The crane started to tip when the steeple was about 10 feet off the ground, he said.

Caleb Fellenstein, the church's youth minister, said the crane started to lower the steeple just before the accident.

"And then it just quickened," he said. "The whole boom and the crane just flipped over. It was like a movie. It was like something unreal.

"I was just standing there in disbelief and panic."

The boom of the portable crane came to rest on the car, the smashed white steeple still attached.

The operator of the crane was not injured.

The woman was in the back seat of the car and the man was in the front passenger seat, said Lara O'Leary, spokeswoman for the Emergency Medical Services Authority, which operates emergency transport for the area. The couple's names weren't immediately released.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the state Labor Department and the owner of the crane, Barnhart Crane and Rigging Co., were to investigate.

Jeff Latture, Barnhart senior vice president, said it had been years since the company had an accident.

"We do about 10,000 jobs a year without incident," he said. "We are very upset about this and certainly are concerned about families involved."

Latture said the cause of the accident will likely be a structural failure of the 90-ton crane, some kind of a problem with the ground it was sitting on, or operator error.

"It was at the beginning of a very simple lift, which is somewhat troubling to us and not far into the lift when the crane went over," he said.

Clay, the fire official, said he saw no obvious equipment failure or problems with the ground the crane was on.

Latture said about 150 feet of the telescoping boom was deployed at the time of the accident.

There have been several deadly crane accidents around the country this year, including one in Houston last week that killed four workers and injured seven others. Crane-related deaths have also occurred in New York, Miami and Las Vegas.

An Associated Press analysis in June found that cities and states have wildly varying rules governing construction cranes.

Cranes in Oklahoma fall under OSHA regulations but operate without any state oversight, state Labor Commissioner Lloyd Fields said. He said Oklahoma may join other states considering improved regulatory oversight of cranes. Oklahoma is among 35 states that do not require crane operators to be licensed.

[erasmus81]

"There have been several deadly crane accidents around the country this year..."

I wonder what the problem is. We have had several here in British Columbia, also. Do the cranes all come from China?:) Or is it the operators? I have heard that the people that run them don''t have to have any "special" training.

[haoli25]

It''s a MIRACLE!!!!!

[husein_pasha]

erasmus, these cranes are probably of carton. I run one 20 years ago

[newtagagain]

Maybe the contractors are hiring cranes barely able to do the job on paper to save money, rather than paying for the next size up and being safe?

[erasmus81]

"these cranes are probably of carton." Posted by Husein_Pasha at 02:36 PM : Jul 24, 2008

I don''t understand what you mean.

[husein_pasha]

that they are made of paper

[husein_pasha]

my english is getting worse and worse

[erasmus81]

"that they are made of paper"

How can they be made of paper and lift all that weight?

[irliberal]

I think he means that they are structurally unsound.

[erasmus81]

"I think he means that they are structurally unsound." Posted by IRliberal at 03:03 PM : Jul 24, 2008

Haha, thank you IRliberal. Sometimes I''m a little slow.:)

[husein_pasha]

yes, exactly

[husein_pasha]

I`m astonished that some people understand me.

[sistatee-2009]

the contractors are hiring cranes barely able to do the job on paper to save money, rather than paying for the next size up and being safe?

Posted by NewTagAgain at 02:47 PM : Jul 24, 2008

How much do they save after paying the wrongful death lawsuits?

[jetlizhan]

i''m surprised that there wasn''t some authority figure there preventing the man from getting too close to the construction. he shouldn''t have been that close to the crane. what a tragedy. i''m so sorry for him and his wife.

[newtagagain]

How much do they save after paying the wrongful death lawsuits?

Posted by SistaTee

Less and less it would seem.

[mythoughtsr]

What is is with cranes? That''s all you hear about are cranes falling down and killing people. Goodness. You''d think that something would be done by now but apparently NOT!

[setumstrt9]

Obama will make a speach tonight on Crane Change.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[adasher1]

Where was god?

[haoli25]

''And verily he said unto them, I will smite thee from above, religious nuts. Behold the power of my holy crane. And it was good.''

[txgrouch2006]

jetlizhan wrote
he shouldn''''t have been that close to the crane
-----------------
Bingo. I think that''s the clue for the reason for all these crane accidents. LACK OF ADHERENCE TO SAFETY PRACTICES. A.k.a. CUTTING CORNERS TO SAVE MONEY.

In this "do whatever it takes" "lean and mean" "be more competitive" world, usually quality and SAFETY suffer.

[notso9]

Where was god?
------------------------------------------------------

Posted by adasher1 at 04:52 PM : Jul 24, 2008

Just because God didn''t stop the accident from happening doesn''t mean he was not there. This was a faithful man, and God was ready for him to be by his side. Only God knows when, where, or how we are going to die. This being such a freak accident, i.e. the crane could have fallen about 355 degrees any direction and not hit this car, it was his time to go, and his wife was in good condition, meaning it wasn''t her time. You athiests out there better get it together. There really is a God and I praise him every day for what he does for me, even though I don''t deserve it.

[txgrouch2006]

adasher1 wrote
Where was god?
-------------
The question is, where is he NOW?

HE''S RIGHT BEHIND YOU, AND HE''S GOT A BIG STICK!

LOOK OUT!!!!

LOL! you looked.

[susieq_13]

notso9...I totally agree with you. My 25 yr old cousin just died in a freak accident. I would never question as to why God took him at such a young age b/c I believe God was ready for my cousin to be by his side. It''s still hard to believe he''s gone, but at least I know where he is. And I can still talk to him. He was such a joy to have around and I just figured God wanted him with him.

[winslowe1]

Just illustrates the dangers of hanging around churches.

[toolmangler-2009]

Just illustrates the dangers of hanging around churches.
Posted by Winslowe1 at 05:43 PM : Jul 24, 2008



So! Don''t just ''hang'' around a Church, either go in and pray or go away and help somebody.

[toolmangler-2009]

My 25 yr old cousin just died in a freak accident. I would never question as to why God took him at such a young age b/c I believe God was ready for my cousin to be by his side. It''''s still hard to believe he''''s gone, but at least I know where he is. And I can still talk to him. He was such a joy to have around and I just figured God wanted him with him.

Posted by susieq_13 at 05:40 PM : Jul 24, 2008



Not trying to be a smartalec but you should remember Satan (the devil) can kill people also. Its not fair for people to blame GOD for everything that harms them.

[toolmangler-2009]

Where was god?
Posted by adasher1 at 04:52 PM : Jul 24, 2008


Be careful what and how you ask, you might just find out.

[slim1h2o]

So! Don''''t just ''''hang'''' around a Church, either go in and pray or go away and help somebody.

Posted by ToolMangler at 05:54 PM : Jul 24, 2008

Most people don''t understand the concept of "helping" people. Most want to stand around criticizing or making fun of others. What a world we live in, eh?

[credibility2]

Recent collapsing crane incidents, with deadly results, has been occurring too frequently. Either those operating them aren''t properly qualified and/or trained, or the fabrication and quality of construction needs to be looked at for possible defects, including whether or not using imported steel from overseas that isn''t up to normal standards may have been used to cut manufacturing costs. Or, maybe there is a point of diminishing returns in terms of trying to use these behemoths to haul objects that are too heavy, and/or using them at a vertical height that causes the collapse because of gravitational pull.

[kansas1946]

What the heck. Is this the Chinese year of the "crane", or what??? How many crane accidents does that make this year. I think two in NY, was there one in Houston? And now Oklahoma.

[stupidrules3]

The crane operator should have made sure the area in the fall zone was clear before he lifted anything off the ground. No bystander should have been close enough to get squished if anything went wrong. OSHA will have a field day with this one. It is amazing that people do not have enough sense to stay well clear of the work area. I have had many walk directly underneath me (ignoring the caution tape) while I have worked on a boom and could have accidently dropped something on them. Common sense sure isn''t very common.

[txgrouch2006]

stupidrules3 wrote
Common sense sure isn''''t very common.
-----------------------
Who needs common sense when there are so many trial lawyers willing to work on a contingency fee. Why exercise caution when you can blame someone else - and get PAID for it???

[misssuzq]

Way too many crane accidents - here''s a clue - stop building such tall buildings!

[toolmangler-2009]

Posted by slim1h2o at 06:18 PM : Jul 24, 2008



You got it right that time, Slim

[stupidrules3]

Point taken txgrouch

[m10003]

Just a quick word. How many of you people out there on this site are crane operators? If it was not a need for tall buildings for the masses we would not be here for you to criticize. First off the C.C.O license does NOT make the person running the machine an operator! Pass that law and we WILL have more of this. You just dont know. Sure accidents happen but lets have some respect! Go a day in our shoes and deal with the constant pressures of KNOWING lives are on our hands. I have a license but its irrelivant to work or making you an operator. Training and experience is what makes the operator, and since we have no one undergoing any REAL training, we are never going to have any real operators. And you can thank the companies that dont use oilers for the lack of inexperience we have in today''s construction industry. Just remember, without proper training, how can anyone know whats safe??

[toolmangler-2009]

without proper training, how can anyone know whats safe??
Posted by m10003 at 08:00 PM : Jul 24, 2008


As a retired Tool and Die maker, I shudder to think of what will happen if a EMP type weapon is used on the world, every electronic device will stop working. Then we have to go back to the absolute basics. there are no people being trained as Blacksmiths and to do metal-working by hand.

[cbsblogger]

The building cranes are the figurative canaries in the US coal mine. We are being warned of a culture /competence breakdown and we don''t yet recognize it.

Compare the current pathetic greed centric culture of the USA, with the Kennedy era (40+ years ago) when we put a man on the moon within 10 years. Under our current leadership we''d be lucky to ever put a man on the moon. Bush (and McCain) would prefer cutting taxes for the rich and putting us further into debt.

I honestly don''t know if Obama will be any better but at least his oratory ability can instill some sense of hope. When I hear Bush or McCain speak with their same ole cowboy line I literally want to puke.

[nothappyatall]

"Grace Assembly of God Pastor Joe Hancock said the couple were longtime church members. "

LOL the irony of a rightwing devout church goer being SMITTED by his deity right at the church by the steeple, too good! gee, guess gawd didn''t give a flop about HIM eh??

[txgrouch2006]

m10003 wrote
Training and experience is what makes the operator, and since we have no one undergoing any REAL training, we are never going to have any real operators.
-------------------------
Twenty years ago, I worked for a company that made sure EVERYONE in the company was ALWAYS "learning something new." No matter how long you had been in the company, they would ALWAYS assign you to do something you never did before.

They didn''t care that you FINALLY learned how to do a job skillfully on one project, and you were eager to apply your new skill on the next project. As soon as you got good at doing something, they wouldn''t let you do it anymore.

They ALWAYS wanted you floundering around doing clumsy work while you learned a new job you never did before. And you KNEW you''d never get to do the same job again if you ever got any good at it.

The result - EVERYTHING THE COMPANY DID looked like it had been done by people who had never done this before. BECAUSE IT WAS!!!

There''s just something about being in management that makes people NOT want to see a job being done right.

[txgrouch2006]

ToolMangler wrote
I shudder to think of what will happen if a EMP type weapon is used on the world, every electronic device will stop working.
---------------------
The best way to defeat the USA would be to drop a Math Test bomb on us. If anyone figured out a way to force people to pass a math test or die, the majority of the population would die.

[txgrouch2006]

cbsblogger wrote
The building cranes are the figurative canaries in the US coal mine. We are being warned of a culture /competence breakdown and we don''''t yet recognize it.
-------------------
I think you''re right. When 90% of the population doesn''t know how to calculate a percent - and DOESN''T CARE - we are headed for trouble.

[txgrouch2006]

Didn''t the fall of the Roman Empire begin this way?

[toolmangler-2009]

Didn''''t the fall of the Roman Empire begin this way?
Posted by txgrouch2006 at 10:02 PM : Jul 24, 2008


The society crumbled from within, too much Government, too many people wanting freebies, and coruption in every facet of life. Yes thats what happened to them also

[o2bewealthy]

Just a guess, but all of these crane incidents might be related to the age of the equipment. My guess is that they were all purchased around the same time and have weakened with age and should be replaced. I suspect there will be more incidents like this in the coming months until construction companies decide to stop writing off the depreciation and get some new, solid equipment.

[deacon20081]

The installer/operator obviously did not extend the outriggers. Such a shame due to inexperience or just laziness.

[ybotheratall]

Didn''''t the fall of the Roman Empire begin this way?

Posted by txgrouch2006 at 10:02 PM

Something tells me they didn''t have cranes.

[adasher1]

Look, another guy busted bones in a church because he thought it would be cool to show his flock some analogy about riding a motorcycle and his flavor of god. God apparently allowed him to fail in front of everyone and he got hurt, in the church....now, this other guy is watching a new addition going up, maybe he even paid for part of it, and BOOM, it falls on him in another failure of god to protect those that prostrate themselves in front of him or her. It''s a sickness to think there is a god...last year in Nashville a lady was killed pulling out of the church parking lot Sunday morning after she was in there for over an hour giving money and praising this god....she pulls out and BAM! Hit and killed by a dump truck in front of everyone.....why would this god take people, as religious people say, in such odd, gross, and bizarre ways? Why not just take them in their sleep? Now, two failures in a week at a church....and peeps pray harder instead of seeing through this man-made effort to earn money without working......stupid.

[goldenfi]

They ALWAYS wanted you floundering around doing clumsy work while you learned a new job you never did before. And you KNEW you''''d never get to do the same job again if you ever got any good at it.I got this idea from the my friends on blacklatinmeet.com, which is a niche dating service for whites and blacks.

[slim1h2o]

Something tells me they didn''''t have cranes.

Posted by YBotherAtAll at 07:27 AM : Jul 25, 2008

Yes, they had cranes. How else would they have built the Roman Colliseum? They just didn''t look like what we have today, thats all.