A crane that was removing steel beams to dismantle an old river bridge became overloaded and toppled Wednesday, killing one worker and injuring another.
The crane smashed into a raised basket where the two men were working, knocking one off and killing him, said Smithville police Lt. Lonny Richardson. The man fell about 60 feet from the top of the old bridge and landed on construction equipment, Richardson said.
The bridge is about 75 feet above the Colorado River in Smithville in central Texas.
The workers were trying to loosen the joints of one beam, or girder, when another beam also came loose and caused the crane to topple, said Marcus Cooper, Texas Department of Transportation spokesman.
Several deadly crane accidents have occurred nationally this year, including one in Houston this month that killed four workers and injured seven. Crane-related deaths also have occurred in New York, Miami and Las Vegas.
The Associated Press
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