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Crane collapses on Franklin Street in downtown Fayetteville
A 110-ton crane working on Fayetteville’s downtown parking deck toppled over Wednesday afternoon, crushing two parked cars but causing no significant injuries. The unidentified operator was taken to a hospital for observation, authorities said. The crane, owned by Buckner Heavylift Cranes, was lifting a load of metal beams for the structure at Franklin and Donaldson streets when it fell about 2:15 p.m., City Manager Dale Iman said. The site is behind the former Public Works Commission offices. The crane’s boom fell across Franklin Street and slammed into unoccupied cars in a parking lot. The crane’s operator was inside the cab when it toppled onto its side. David Lee, who works a block away at Mystic Jewelers, ran to the site and smelled diesel fuel spilling from the crane. Lee said he and construction workers climbed up to the cab and found the operator dazed but conscious. Medics took the operator to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center mainly for observation, said city fire Battalion Commander Richard Bradshaw. Authorities suspect the crane’s load may have struck a stand of rebars projecting from the top of a piling, causing the boom to tip. The exact cause remains under investigation.
Staff writer James Halpin can be reached at [email protected] or 486-3509.