Seattle crane collapse

On April 27, 2019, at approximately 3:28 p.m. Pacific Time, a construction crane working on a Google office building in Seattle, Washington, United States, collapsed onto Mercer Street, killing four people and injuring four others.[1] The crane, which was being dismantled, fell across the street and its median, crushing six cars near the Fairview Avenue intersection. It also damaged the building's roof and eastern facade.[2] Two of the four victims were ironworkers, while the others, a college student and a former city administrator, were in vehicles on the street.[3]

Seattle crane collapse
Site of the collapse, seen two days later
DateApril 27, 2019 (2019-04-27)
Time3:28 p.m.
LocationMercer Street and Fairview Avenue, Seattle, Washington, United States
Coordinates47°37′29″N 122°20′06″W
TypeCrane collapse
Deaths4
Non-fatal injuries4
Damage to the building following the collapse

Several strong gusts of wind were reported in the area, including one recorded at a speed of 23 miles per hour (37 km/h) at the time of the collapse, and was briefly theorized as a factor in the collapse.[1][4] The collapse was captured in a dashcam video that was posted online the day after the accident, showing the perspective from westbound Mercer Street.[5]

Seattle has undergone a construction boom since the Great Recession, tallying 60 cranes in early 2019—the most in one city in the United States at the time.[6] The last local crane incident to include fatalities occurred in November 2006 during construction of the Expedia Building in Bellevue, which killed one person in a nearby building. As a result, Washington adopted laws to enforce stricter crane safety policies, including enhanced operator certification and training.[7]

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries began an investigation into the incident, with cooperation from developer Vulcan, Inc., the City of Seattle, and general contractor GLY Construction.[8][9] The collapse's cause was initially unknown, although outside investigators had speculated that the improper removal of pins and bolts during disassembly was a potential cause.[10][11] Mercer Street remained shut down for the weekend and re-opened on Monday morning, following removal of the crane and debris to a nearby lot.[4][12]

Primary conclusions

The preliminary findings from the Department of Labor and Industries was released in October and found that the collapse was caused by the premature removal of more than 50 pins between the tower crane sections.[13] State officials indicated they don't have a way to compel companies to abandon this practice – which can speed up disassembly but jeopardizes a crane's stability – and they are considering new regulations. The Department of Labor and Industries fined general contractor GLY Construction and Northwest Tower Crane Service, responsible for dismantling the crane $25,200 and $12,000 respectively. Morrow Equipment, which supplied the crane, was cited for a "willful" serious violation which "directly contributed to the collapse" and fined $70,000. The Seattle Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation into the accident.[14] Morrow was cited, because it had approved the removal of pins against recommended practices.[15]

Settlement

In 2022, $150,000,000 was awarded to the families of the deceased, and two people injured in the accident, as a result of two lawsuits.[16][17]

See also

References
  1. Bush, Evan; Shapiro, Nina (April 27, 2019). "Fallen crane kills four in South Lake Union: 'It was terrifying'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  2. Sailor, Craig (April 27, 2019). "Four dead after construction crane collapses onto busy Seattle street". The News Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  3. Green, Sara Jean; Miletich, Steve; Kamb, Lewis (April 29, 2019). "Former Seattle employee, North Bend ironworker among victims of crane collapse". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  4. Weise, Karen (April 28, 2019). "Seattle Eyes Its Crane-Filled Skyline After a Deadly Accident". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  5. Guevara (April 29, 2019). "Dash cam video shows moment crane falls from building in Seattle's South Lake Union". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  6. Baumann, Lisa (April 28, 2019). "'Terrifying': Crane falls on busy Seattle street, killing 4". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  7. Rosenberg, Mike (April 27, 2019). "Seattle's cranes kept coming – and until now, operated safely". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  8. Gutman, David; Groover, Heidi; Gilbert, Daniel (April 28, 2019). "Investigators open probe into four companies involved in dismantling Seattle crane before deadly collapse". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  9. "Investigation into deadly Seattle crane collapse could take half a year". KING 5 News. April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  10. Lam, Kristin (April 29, 2019). "Deadly Seattle crane collapse was likely caused by human error, experts say". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  11. Gutman, David (May 13, 2019). "What caused Seattle crane to collapse? Experts say a common practice is likely cause". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  12. Guevara, Natalie (April 29, 2019). "South Lake Union streets, including Mercer, reopened after crane fell Saturday in Seattle". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  13. Gilbert, Daniel; Gutman, David (October 17, 2019). "Early removal of structural pins resulted in Seattle's fatal crane collapse, investigation finds". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  14. "'Totally avoidable': state faults, fines companies in collapse of Seattle tower crane in April". The Seattle Times. 2019-10-17. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
  15. Waldrop, Theresa; Toropin, Konstantin (October 18, 2019). "Three companies fined in Seattle crane collapse". CNN. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  16. "Jury awards $150 million to 2019 Seattle crane collapse victims, families". king5.com. March 14, 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  17. "Victims of Seattle crane collapse to receive more than $112 million". ABC News. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
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