Crane Falls At Construction Site, 3 Hurt
GRAND RAPIDS (WWJ/AP) - Authorities say a 250-foot-tall crane collapsed onto a building at a construction site at the Kent County jail complex in Grand Rapids, injuring three people.
The Grand Rapids Press reports that the jail was placed on lockdown following Friday morning's collapse. Kent County Undersheriff Jon Hess described the injuries to a construction worker and two Kent County jail trustees as minor.
"A construction woeker in the area was hit by a cable ... not sure if it was the cable that snapped on the crane," Hess told WWJ Newsradio 950. "And some inmate workers that we had stationed in the garage in the existing facility were hit by broken glass in their eyes and facial area."
The department reported that all inmates were accounted for.
Images from the scene showed part of the crane leaning against a building. A garage area where sheriff's vehicles are kept was damaged.
The main jail that houses inmates apparently wasn't damaged. Hess said they're checking the structural integrity of that building.
Hess said the crane that fell has been used for seven months on a $27 million renovation project.
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