Crane Companies Face $61K in Fines After Fatal Crane Collapse in Florida
The citations mark the second ones issued this year by OSHA for fatal crane incidents in Florida.
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A crane assembly company and a crane rental business face proposed fines totaling $61,299 after one worker was killed and three people were injured in a partial crane collapse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The citations mark the second fatal crane incident in Florida to be the subject of violations this year from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The Fort Lauderdale incident occurred April 4 while “stepping the crane,” which is adding additional sections to raise it, during the construction of a new apartment complex. A support cable snapped and displaced a platform, causing the crane section to fall more than 300 feet onto a drawbridge below on Southeast 3rd Avenue, according to OSHA.
Two vehicles on the bridge were struck, and the bridge was damaged enough to be closed until the next day.
Jorge de la Torre, 27, was “waiting to start the crane climbing process when a cable snapped,” and “he fell over 30 stories (320 feet) to the pavement below,” according to OSHA.
Three occupants of vehicles struck by the falling crane section were injured. One of the victims has filed a $50 million negligence lawsuit against the crane companies, the contractor and the project owner saying she suffered brain damage from the impact.
According to OSHA, de la Torre’s safety lanyard was not connected to an anchor point. Another worker with proper safety protection was rescued.
2 Companies Cited
The worker fell 30 stories when a cable snapped, causing the crane section to crash onto a bridge below.Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue
- Failing to ensure the use of fall protection equipment. Serious, $16,131.
- Failing to identify significantly corroded and cracked pins and bolts and improperly tightened end connections. Serious violation, $11,292 proposed penalty.
- Failing to perform pre-inspection of each crane component for excessive wear, including bolts, pins, thimble and wire rope of the climbing system’s trolly rail guide. Serious, $11,292.
OSHA also cited Maxim Crane Works LP, which rented out the crane and is based in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Proposed penalties for Maxim total $22,584 for the following violations:
- Failing to identify significantly corroded and cracked pins and bolts and improperly tightened end connections. Serious, $11,292.
- Failing to perform pre-inspection of each crane component for excessive wear, including bolts, pins, thimble and wire rope of the climbing system’s trolly rail guide. Serious, $11,292.
“If these companies had made safety a priority, a young man’s family, friends and co-workers wouldn’t be facing this preventable loss,” said OSHA Area Director Condell Eastmond in Fort Lauderdale. “Construction employers are responsible for ensuring that workers use fall protection in hazardous situations, and we will hold all employers accountable for failing to provide safe working conditions.”
Second Citation This Year
The citations mark the second set issued this year for a fatal crane incident in Florida.
Adcock Cranes Inc. of Plant City and Concrete Impressions of Tampa were cited earlier this year after an aerial-lift operator for Concrete Impressions was struck and killed October 3, 2023, in Orlando.
The lift’s operator, Ryan Keith Haynes, 37, was guiding and installing precast concrete panels for a sound barrier wall at a southbound on-ramp for toll road SR 417. The outriggers on the mobile crane, operated by an Adcock employee, were not fully extended, according to OSHA.
When the crane operator lifted and swung a 10,700-pound concrete panel, it put pressure on the rear right outrigger. The ground underneath collapsed. The crane toppled over and struck Haynes’ aerial lift, OSHA reported.
Haynes was trapped under the crane and died of his injuries. He was a veteran of tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He entered the construction industry after his nine years of Army service as an ammunition specialist, according to his obituary.
