Tag: tower crane

A luffing jib tower crane has lost its jib on a site in Ealing, London yesterday evening. No one has been injured in the incident and some reports state the possible cause is related to the strong gusty winds currently in the area.

The crane, owned by rental company LTC – London Tower Cranes – was working on the Dickens Yard site in Ealing Broadway, currently being developed by St George. The operator was treated for shock, but was otherwise unhurt. A spokesman for St George acknowledged that the incident had occurred, but said that it was not possible to comment at this stage on the possible cause.

The crane and jib which appears to have suffered from a sheared jib bolt, are said to be stable, although they have been monitored overnight for any further movement or risk.

On the 11th of December a tower crane has collapsed onto an Aldi supermarket in Bad Homburg, Germany, killing at least one member of the public.

The crane, a regular top slewer owned by BBL Cranes, came down around 11:30 this morning hitting the supermarket next to the large office construction site it was working on. The counterweights are said to have fallen near the check out, where the impact killed a 45 year old customer.

Seven other people were injured, with two of them considered to be in a serious condition. The crane operator, 58, is among the injured as was the mother of the deceased. The more serious injured were airlifted to hospital.

A search is continuing among the rubble for any other injured persons, but this is being hampered by the instability of the structure. A mobile crane has now lifted the crane clear of the roof.

A self-erecting mobile tower crane has gone over in a shopping street in Nieuwegein, on the south side of Utrecht in the Netherlands, no one is hurt and damage is relatively minor.

The incident occurred just before 8:00 this morning and thankfully the operator was on the ground, and not in the elevating operators cab. He was apparently in the process of lifting materials onto the roof at the time.

The rear outrigger of the crane, a Spierings owned by Nederhof crane rental, punched through the block street surface into a void or soft foundation material.