Crane cab torn off as bridge span slips.
Crews working on the Sissiboo River bridge in Nova Scotia were fortunate to avoid serious injury yesterday when a 55-tonne span of the former railway bridge came down faster than expected.
Workers with AW Leil Cranes of Dartmouth were using a 200-tonne crane on a barge operated by the main contractors, RJ McIsaac of Antigonish to lower the steel span about near 5:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012.
The span was most of the way down, hanging about 20′ in the air. The barge, with the crane on it, was slowly backing away from the bridge when everything fell apart.
A corner of the span is lying on the end of the barge and the crane’s boom is lying crumpled over the barge and other equipment. The crane’s cab was torn clear off.
Approximately four men, including the crane operator, were believed to be working on the barge at the time of the accident and they all escaped with only some minor injuries.
Read more here.
