Structural collapse attorneys note that a tower crane being used to build a new block of flats in Battersea, U.K. suddenly collapsed and crushed a man washing his car at his own home nearby. The collapse also pulled down a balcony on the occupied set of flats. The force of the 2006 collapse also killed the crane operator who was hurled out of the cab 165 feet to the ground.
An in-depth investigation followed the deadly tower crane accident. Investigators pinned the cause of the fatal crane collapse on use of the wrong operating manual. It turns out that the contractor at the site did not possess the manual governing use of the tower crane operating at the site. And the manual that the contractor did possess, for another type of crane, was missing several critical pages. So the contractor used 12.2 tons of concrete to balance the crane’s load, when that particular model of tower crane could only safely use 8 tons of concrete counterweights.
Our structural collapse attorneys point out that tower cranes like the one involved in the Battersea crane collapse use a series of rollers called a “slew ring” to control its motion through 360 degrees. The slew ring is fixed to the body of the crane with a series of 24 bolts. The bolts must be regularly inspected and their tightness adjusted periodically for the crane to operate safely. The stress on the bolts doubles for every additional 50% overloading of weight on the crane.
Over time, the tower crane that collapsed in Battersea suffered enormous stress due to overloading. Our structural collapse attorneys read that just two months before the collapse, 4 bolts had fractured and another 10 were found to have loosened. The bolts were unfortunately replaced using instructions for the wrong crane and from the wrong manual.
Then, on the day of the deadly crane collapse, when the 12.2 tons of concrete counterweights were added to the 8-ton capacity crane, the extra weight pulled the crane over backwards. It fell heavily over 165 feet to land in a crumpled heap. It took 4 days to extract from the wreckage the body of the man who had been innocently washing his car nearby.
In spite of the deadly toll taken by ignorance and negligence in this incident, the Crown Prosecutor found that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with a criminal prosecution against the contractor. However, the absence of a criminal prosecution should not bar the victims’ surviving family members from filing civil claims to recover financial recompense if they wish to proceed.
Sometimes it’s the simple things that lie at the heart of the messiest accidents. A simple assumption that one crane manual was as good as another cost two men in Battersea their lives. If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one to negligence and you need to know if you’re eligible to proceed with a civil claim, feel free to contact our concerned structural collapse attorneys with your questions. We offer a free and confidential initial legal consultation/case evaluation that could help you understand your rights and available legal options for pursuing just financial compensation. You can reach us toll free at 877-307-9500 or use our online contact features to schedule your free consultation. And we won’t charge you attorneys’ fees unless you win your case.