Boom truck worker thrown from bucket in western Minnesota
A worker on a boom truck that was trying to help a commercial vehicle move through a western Minnesota intersection was thrown from the bucket Thursday afternoon, officials say.
The condition of the worker is not known.
The Minnesota State Patrol said the incident happened near Highway 212 and Highway 75 in Hamlin shortly after noon.
Video acquired by WCCO shows the worker trying to guide the commercial vehicle underneath a traffic light. The boom then moves suddenly and the worker is thrown out of the bucket.
The state patrol said the traffic light then hit the commercial vehicle. No one in the vehicle was injured.
Mickey Daly, who captured the video, said she and her husband were stuck behind the commercial vehicle for more than five minutes when she decided to pull out her phone and take some pictures.
The de-aerator was heading to the South Dakota border and was too tall to fit under the traffic light.
"They'd already broken the bottom part of one of the lights, I thought, I'll start to record and see if they can clear it this time," Daly said. "I started recording, and something snapped ... And he fell, I couldn't believe it. We were both in shock."
The Minnesota Department of Transportation said the company hauling the oversized load hired the worker. That company has declined further comment.
The local sheriff did not respond to WCCO's multiple calls for comment.
"Just thinking about it gives me the chills every time. I have a hard time watching it," Daly said. "Never in a million years did I think I'd see something like that. I do think he's OK. I really do."
