Excavator operator hospitalised as debris strikes cab.
The video (below) is – thankfully – not graphic as it does not capture the moment that a chunk of debris fell onto the excavator’s cab, injuring the operator’s abdomen and legs. But it is no less telling for that.
The machine in question is quite clearly not designed for the task at hand, hardly surprising perhaps given that it is owned and operated by a construction company B&D Yard Builders. And maybe that’s why when the building does show signs of collapse, the operator slews his machine so his cab and open cab door are in the firing line.
The operator was injured Monday while taking down a brick building on South Main Street in Joplin. The old structure had been declared structurally unsafe after an adjacent building collapsed late last month.
The accident happened about 10:30 am when a wall fell on top of the excavator and sent debris flying into the cab of the machine, injuring the 57-year-old operator, Dennis Neely.
Police Lt. Matt Stewart said Neely, co-owner of B&D, was taken to Freeman Hospital West for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries to his abdomen and upper legs. A Freeman spokeswoman said he had been treated and released by 4:30 p.m.
Assistant public works director Jack Schaller said a portion of the wall of the building “kicked out,” with some of the debris landing in the excavator’s cab and some of it also knocking a large hole into the north wall of the building at 918-920 S. Main St., directly to the south.
Read more here or view the non-graphic video below:
