LAKE MARY --
Witnesses who saw a giant construction crane fall onto a historic building and a tree smash through a window Monday night said it was very windy at the time.
But investigators said the severe weather that was moving across Central Florida did not cause that damage.
Crews said the crane, operated by the Sun State Tree Company, was removing a tree that may have been too heavy to handle, and the base of the truck somehow became unstable.
"From what I've been told, when it shifted, it caused the crane to shift on its platform and topple," said Toby Palmer, with the Lake Mary Fire Department.
Both the crane and the tree went through the building, which is used by several small businesses and a church congregation.
The tree went through the pastor's window. No one inside the building was hurt, but the crane operator was injured. The extent of those injuries was not immediately known.
It took about 11 hours and four tow trucks to finally get the crane back upright.
Tow truck crews were still at the scene early Tuesday morning, because crews could not start the crane's engine.
If they want to bring the outriggers back in and drive the crane onto a flatbed to move it from the scene, they will have to figure out how to get the crane's engine started
