A crane injury lawsuit is likely after a fatal crane collapse in Dallas, Texas.
Sizable storms and high-speed winds caused a construction-site crane to crash into a Dallas apartment complex on Sunday, killing one resident and injuring at least five others. The crane demolished multiple apartment units and smashed through all five stories of the complex’s garage.
The region saw significant winds on Sunday afternoon, with gusts reaching over 70 mph at the peak of the storm. Onlookers said they noticed the crane swaying alarmingly in the wind moments before it toppled. The impact scattered concrete chunks and parts of cars, causing the area to turn “completely white and gray from debris”, according to one resident.
Residents were initially evacuated from the building by responding rescue teams. Some were allowed to re-enter accessible units in order to retrieve their personal belongings. For others, there was nothing left intact to retrieve.
Luckily, the apartment complex was “more than half intact” and still structurally sound, according to one member of the rescue team. The parking garage sustained a worse blow, with many cars either significantly damaged or totaled.
Industrial construction cranes are supposed to be manufactured with the ability to withstand inclement weather and heavy winds without risk of collapse, particularly when they are used in densely-populated urban areas. It is not yet known what caused the Dallas crane to collapse. Bigge Crane, the Dallas crane’s operating company, has offered no statements on the accident other than to extend its thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families.
The accident is expected to trigger an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Bigge Crane has weathered close to 20 OSHA investigations in the past five years for various accidents, including a crane collapse at an Arkansas nuclear power plant. OSHA’s report stated that the company’s crane failed certain safety standards, which directly contributed to the crash. These findings prompted a crane injury lawsuit by the victims’ families.
The residents who sustained injuries or losses due to the Dallas crane accident may have a cause of action against the crane company, the construction company, contractors and subcontractors, and other involved parties, particularly if future investigations show that the accident resulted from negligence or faulty manufacturing.
To learn more about personal injury and wrongful death claims, including crane injury lawsuits, click here or call the expert Tennessee personal injury attorneys at David Randolph Smith & Associates at (615) 742-1775.
