Preliminary findings fault crane's base for collapse
Investigators said the cause of the fatal crane collapse in Bellevue in November laid in the crane's base, according to a report by KOMO 4's newspaper partner, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
The crane's non-standard base setting caused it to topple, the Department of Labor and Industry's preliminary investigation found.
Cranes are normally attached to a deeply set and extremely heavy concrete base. But the crane that collapsed was placed on a cross-frame base made of steel L beams.
The crane "would not have toppled if it had been bolted into concrete like most tower cranes," sources close to the investigation told the Seattle P-I.
But the department said the results are not yet final.
"It'll take a long time to determine exactly what the cause was and we don't want to rush to judgment," said John Acker, a state labor and industries inspector. "We want to know exactly what the cause was."
Top department officials were briefed Thursday on the preliminary findings but a final report has not been released.
The crane collapsed on the night of November 16th, when it smashed into three buildings and killed a Microsoft attorney in his fourth floor apartment.
Witnesses say they'd noticed something odd about the crane at least several days before.
"it was leaning and it wasn't swaying in the wind," said witness Kelly Heath. "It looked like it was just set wrong."
Bellevue Fire Chief Mario Trevino said the crane operator heard some funny noises before the collapse.
"He heard a noise which he assumed came from the base of the crane. That's where it originated," he said.
After the collapse the contractor Lease Crutcher Lewis worked with an engineering firm to design a new steel base for the crane. Construction resumed at the site of the collapse last month.
The full details of the investigation can be found in the Saturday edition of the Seattle P-I.
The crane's non-standard base setting caused it to topple, the Department of Labor and Industry's preliminary investigation found.
Cranes are normally attached to a deeply set and extremely heavy concrete base. But the crane that collapsed was placed on a cross-frame base made of steel L beams.
The crane "would not have toppled if it had been bolted into concrete like most tower cranes," sources close to the investigation told the Seattle P-I.
But the department said the results are not yet final.
"It'll take a long time to determine exactly what the cause was and we don't want to rush to judgment," said John Acker, a state labor and industries inspector. "We want to know exactly what the cause was."
Top department officials were briefed Thursday on the preliminary findings but a final report has not been released.
The crane collapsed on the night of November 16th, when it smashed into three buildings and killed a Microsoft attorney in his fourth floor apartment.
Witnesses say they'd noticed something odd about the crane at least several days before.
"it was leaning and it wasn't swaying in the wind," said witness Kelly Heath. "It looked like it was just set wrong."
Bellevue Fire Chief Mario Trevino said the crane operator heard some funny noises before the collapse.
"He heard a noise which he assumed came from the base of the crane. That's where it originated," he said.
After the collapse the contractor Lease Crutcher Lewis worked with an engineering firm to design a new steel base for the crane. Construction resumed at the site of the collapse last month.
The full details of the investigation can be found in the Saturday edition of the Seattle P-I.