- Location
- North of Boston
A man died yesterday after the boom lift he 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 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.
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 it tilted again and the second time went over, with the boom striking a building opposite before landing on a parked utility truck. The 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
Editors Comment
This is a very rare type of accident, a boom such as this will sometime recover from such an incident and as long as the operator has a harness on he stands a good change of surviving.
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.
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 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.
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 it tilted again and the second time went over, with the boom striking a building opposite before landing on a parked utility truck. The 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
Editors Comment
This is a very rare type of accident, a boom such as this will sometime recover from such an incident and as long as the operator has a harness on he stands a good change of surviving.
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.
