From Iceland — Collapsing Crane Likely Result Of Disabled Security Function

Collapsing Crane Likely Result Of Disabled Security Function

Published September 30, 2016

Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo by
Art Bicnick

Further investigations into what caused a construction crane to buckle and collapse, narrowly missing the Bæjarins bestu hot dog stand and two young women, has shown that certain safety measures were probably ignored.

As reported, the crane collapsed on a building located right next door to Grapevine offices. Although no one was injured, RÚV reports that the crane narrowly missed crushing two 16-year-old girls, who were sitting at a table next to Bæjarins bestu when the crane collapsed. They were very shaken, but fortunately otherwise unscathed.

The wreckage was all but removed when Grapevine staff arrived for work this morning, and yesterday’s investigations into the cause of the accident revealed that deliberate negligence may have played a part.

Work supervisory authorities found that a device that is supposed to disable the crane when it is carrying too great a load was probably disabled. As such, the weight of the crane’s load likely exerted enough momentum to buckle the structure completely. It has already been confirmed that the crane was lifting beyond its capacity.

Police are now investigating further.

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