June 25, 2008

Construction worker dies in Montreal crane accident

A construction worker was killed last week when he got stuck in the construction crane he was trying to dismantle on Nun’s Island in Montreal.

The 44-year old was taking out a pin in order to remove a large boom, but the boom lifted three or four feet and hit him. A six-metre-long metal piece swung and hit the man in the head and left the man dangling about 100 metres above the ground.

The incident happened at about 8:35 a.m., and emergency services workers got to the top of the crane by about 8:50a.m. It is believed the man was dead by that time. The worker was about 27 storeys high when the incident occurred, so he had to be freed and brought back to the ground by a specialized team of firefighters. He was pronounced dead after being lowered almost two hours later.

The crane company, Groupe Fortier Inc., had two cranes on the site. The one crane was being dismantled because construction on the shell of the condominium tower had just been completed.

Firefighters and ambulance workers were lifted to the top of the structure in a gondola on the second crane.

Print | Email | Comment