Crane truck topples over at library building site

The 10-ton vehicle shifted as its 80-foot boom was being extended. The operator escaped injury.

By JENNIFER FARRELL, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 12, 2002

CLEARWATER -- A crane truck overturned early Wednesday on Osceola Avenue at the construction site of the new main library.

No one was injured in the accident, which closed Osceola from Laura Street to Drew Street from 7:15 a.m. until shortly before 1 p.m.

The truck rolled over as a subcontractor from Pyramid Masonry attempted to load steel scaffolding onto the second floor of the building's northeast corner, said city public services director Gary Johnson.

"They extended the boom and, at that point, the crane toppled," he said.

As vehicle shifted, the worker jumped free, escaping unharmed as the 10-ton truck landed on its side, with the 80-foot boom stretching across the road into the parking lot of the temporary library.

Crews dismantled the boom before righting the truck.

It was unclear Wednesday what caused the truck to tip.

"There wasn't any load on it when it fell," said Johnson.

There was no traffic on Osceola at the time and no cars in the parking lot where the boom landed.

Johnson said Turner Construction of Tampa will supply another crane truck and the accident will cause no delays to the project, which is on schedule to finish late next year.

Officials from Turner did not return calls Wednesday.

Johnson said the accident will not cost the city extra money.

The accident is not the first on the construction site. A worker fell into a hole in July and was buried waist-deep for three hours.

Last week, a construction mishap on the new Memorial Causeway Bridge caused an 80-foot concrete span to sink a foot and twist out of place. Engineers decided this week to tear down the bridge section and replace it.

On Wednesday morning, Johnson said accidents are to be expected in large-scale building projects.

"When it rains it pours," he said. "It's the nature of the beast. It goes with construction."

-- Jennifer Farrell can be reached at 445-4160 or farrell@sptimes.com ">farrell@sptimes.com .

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright