Crane Collapses at 21st & Walnut St; Kills Operator, Injures 3 Pedestrians

Posted by Mike Arrison on 14 Oct 2009 at 07:15 pm | in: The Triangle View

Around 1:30 Tuesday Oct 13th, a crane which was working on a church steeple at 21st & Walnut St collapsed across Walnut St. The man operating the crane from the basket, which was fully extended to aprox. 5-6 stories high, was killed. The toppled crane struck the building across the street, raining debris down on the pedrestrians below, three of which were sent to the hospital. The crane operator, identified as James Wilson, 41, did not cry out or panic according to eye-witness reports. He remained calm and tried his best to re-orient the Cherry Picker. The collapse was caused due to the Cherry Picker rolling over a cement utilities access hole on the sidewalk. The cement cover shattered under the weight of the crane, causing the rear-left wheel to fall into the ditch, de-stabilizing the entire structure.