Crane collapse in Charlottesville injures 1 person

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. (WVIR) - Investigators are trying to figure out what caused a crane to partially collapse in downtown Charlottesville Monday morning.

A crane being used in the construction of the new 3TWENTY3 office building on 2nd Street Southeast partially crashed into the structure around 8 a.m. Monday, January 6. The building is expected to be office space, and a subcontractor is believed to be involved in crane operations.

Fire crews quickly used a ladder truck to get to the roof and bring down the injured worker. City officials say the victim suffered a compound fracture of his leg, and was transported to the University of Virginia Medical Center.

“One of the things our fire department is prepared for is incidents like this, and this is what they train on and they’re prepared to do. So fortunately we had the right equipment, well-trained people. We were able to extricate the patient safely and efficiently,” Charlottesville Spokesperson Brian Wheeler said.

Representatives from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are involved in the investigation. It may be up to six months until OSHA releases its findings.

Charlottesville has issued a stop work order on the construction project until a structural engineer can evaluate the damage.

01/06/2020 Release from the Charlottesville Fire Department:

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - At 8:08 a.m. on Monday, January 6, 2020, the Charlottesville Fire Department was dispatched to the partial collapse of a construction crane at 323 2nd Street SE.

Charlottesville Fire Department's Engine 7 was the first arriving unit in just under three minutes from the time of dispatch to time of arrival at 8:11 a.m. When they arrived on scene they quickly assessed the situation and found a partial collapse of the crane onsite with the upper portion projected into the building currently under construction. The engine crew made their way to the top level of the structure and found one of the workers with a leg injury.

Charlottesville Fire Department's Tower 10 aerial apparatus was able to position itself adjacent to the crane and building in order to effect the rescue. Due to the location on the roof and unsafe area near where the worker was found, rescue teams had to lower the injured person to the floor below using ladders and special rescue equipment. From there Tower 10 was able to use the bucket at the tip of the unit to load and lower the patient to a ladder onto the ground. The construction worker was transported to the University of Virginia Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries. Twenty-four CFD personnel responded along with the Charlottesville Police Department and the Charlottesville Albemarle Rescue Squad.

No further information is available at this time regarding the exact mechanism of injury or the full extent of those injuries.

The City of Charlottesville has issued a stop work order on the construction project until a structural engineer can evaluate the damage. Officials with the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health team of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry are responding to the site today to begin an investigation.

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