Crane topples onto building under construction in Dorchester
BOSTON – No one was hurt Tuesday morning when a crane tipped over and landed on a building under construction in Dorchester.
It happened around 10 a.m. in the area of Dorchester Ave. The crane toppled over and landed on wooden framing on the second floor.
A truck driver told investigators he had just dropped off a truck loaded with construction material from Canada. "All of sudden the machine went down, the boom went down with the freight," the truck driver said.
Boston Inspectional Services said it appears the crane operator "neglected to place counterweights to stabilize the crane" and it tipped once it was fully extended.
"When he made the swing over the building, there was a collapse," Deputy Boston Fire Commissioner Michael Hocking said. "There was like a couple of men up there guiding the trusses into place. They did not get hurt."
The crane operator says he felt lucky coming out of it unhurt. "We're good man," the operator said.
Crews worked to separate the crane from the framing work. Larger cranes were brought in to upright the toppled crane.
There have been a string of construction accidents in recent months both in Boston, around the state, and nationwide.
"With a lot more construction, I think it starts thinning out the help. We have to make sure everyone is following the guidelines, the rules, and the procedures we have in place so we can stop having accidents like this," Hocking said.
It rattled neighbors like Alex Castill. "I hear a boom," Castill said. "Then I come over here and I saw the fellow walking out of the truck, and they were interviewing him."
The project under construction will eventually be a 5-story complex with apartments, a market, restaurant and parking.
The investigation is ongoing and OSHA has been notified.
