On Saturday afternoon, tragedy struck downtown Seattle as a tower crane that was being dismantled suddenly fell to the street below, killing two ironworkers and 2 people that were in their cars, as well as injuring 4 others. Dashcam footage of that collapse has recently surfaced, giving some clues as to why the crane fell as it did.
After reviewing the video and pictures from the scene, many believe that the pins, which secure the tower crane sections together, were pulled prematurely. King5 News reports that experts point to the fact that the base section of the crane did not move at all. Many initial reports pointed to wind gusts that rolled through the area, but it now appears that the wind only played a small part as the structure was significantly weakened.
In King5’s story, attorney David Kwass, who has worked on the litigation for crane incidents in the past, drew comparisons to a 2012 crane collapse in Dallas. In that case, many thought the wind was a big factor, but it was later discovered that the crane had been prematurely de-pinned.
As the investigation rolls on, let’s not lose sight of the fact that 4 people lost their lives and many others will be affected by witnessing the incident for years to come. King5 also reported that the victims were 33-year-old Travis Corbet and 31-year-old Andrew Yoder, both ironworkers, as well as a 19-year-old college freshman Sarah Wong and 71-year-old Alan Justad.
The video of the incident shared on YouTube is below.
