August 8, 2014
Minnesota
Minnesota
Crane operator injured
August 8, 2014 | www.vertikal.net
An operator was injured this afternoon when his crane overturned and his cab was damaged in Grand Meadow, Minnesota
A view from the side
The crane a 550 ton seven axle Grove GMK7550 owned by Dawes Crane and rigging was rigged with most of its boom and a jib and working on the routine repair of an existing wind turbine when it went over. The crane looks to have been well set up and it is assumed that the wind took the load out of radius, creating an overload and causing it to swing into the cab, although we have seen no firm evidence of this and some reports we have received claim that the crane was not lifting a load at the time.
While the cab was crushed, police have said that the operator was not trapped, but was seriously injured and was airlifted to hospital where he is reported to be in a stable condition and that his injuries are not life threatening.
The crane was working on a wind farm owned by Next Era Energy. Osha is investigating the incident. We will update this article as and when we receive more information.
The operator’s cab was badly damaged
The crane was rigged with a jib
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/08/08/crane-operator-injured/