Fatal boom tip

A man was working in toppled over after a wheel broke through a manhole cover, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

The lift was being used by a man to inspect the steeple of the First Presbyterian Church at 21st and Walnut Streets. The operator was driving and steering the machine, which was telescoped to its full 120ft (37 metres) height, when one of the wheels went over an electrical cable manhole cover which gave way under its weight.

Philadelphia
The boom lifts wheel broke through a manhole cover

Witnesses say that the lift, a recent model JLG 1200SJP owned by Interstate Aerials, tilted over, recovered sending the boom the other way, tilted again and the second time went over sideways, with the boom striking a building opposite, showering the street with bricks, before landing on a parked utility truck. The Basket appears to have hit the ground, the 40 year old operator was wearing a harness and was left suspended from his lanyard.

He was rushed to hospital where he later died from his injuries, a woman passer by was also injured. The falling lift also caused considerable damage to street lights and signs

Vertikal Comment

This is a very rare type of accident, a boom such as this will often recover from such a 'pothole' incident and as long as the operator has a harness on he stands a good chance of surviving. In this case though he was unlucky.

Sadly he clearly had not seen the manhole cover on the ground before going up, or from the platform as he manoeuvred. Checking the ground conditions before driving such a machine from such a height is essential, and will normally prevent such an accident occurring.

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