Second Truss Crane Collapses at Maumee River Crossing Project
October 26, 2004—The Toledo Blade reported this week that a second truss crane fell on October 23 at the I-280 Maumee River Crossing project just hours after work had resumed with the crane following the first accident in February. No one was injured this time, but four workers were killed in the first incident.
The Ohio Department of Transportation was videotaping the jobsite when the crane suddenly fell out of its structure and hit a temporary catwalk around the pier below. Several workers were standing on the nearby pier, but no one was on the catwalk. Two mobile cranes were brought in to remove the now-defunct machine.
During the mainline work suspension, the surviving truss crane was modified to improve its stability during the positioning process, known as launching, and redundant control and safety systems were added. Officials pledged as well that they had revised operating procedures and retrained workers to assure safe operation of the crane. These cranes, built specifically for the Maumee River Crossing project, were first to have self-contained launching systems, and both the October and February accidents occurred during launching. ODOT expects to eliminate the overhead launching process by discontinuing the use of this model crane.
