Lucky escape as crane crashes into residential building

A crane driver cheated death this week after his Woolf luffing crane collapsed into a neighbouring apartment block while working on a Bowmer & Kirkland job in Liverpool.

There were no major injuries reported among residents of the Chandlers Wharf development, despite the 45t crane crashing into the roof of the building.

Eye witnesses said the driver was thrown out of his cab onto the roof of Chandlers Wharf as the crane came to rest on the apartment block.

The failed machine was on hire from HTC working on B&K's £28m Kings Dock Mill hotel and apartment site.

B&K said the crane was undertaking a lifting operation well within its design capacity when the machine collapsed.

B&K health and safety director Mark Blundy said: "We cannot comment on the exact cause because we simply do not know at the moment. We are liaising with the investigating authorities.

"Nothing like this has ever happened to us before. We are aware of our commitments and operate to "Safe Crane Campaign" codes of practice.

"We are liaising with the local community and making arrangements to ensure the residents are safety relocated and the apartments secured during the repair and recovery operations."

The other tower crane on site is being examined by an independent engineer, to ensure it remains in a safe condition.

Site workers on the B&K job raced across to the apartment block to rescue residents. One flat owner said: "We got across and started running downstairs but there was no way out on the ground floor because the door was blocked. We ran back upstairs to the second floor where a builder helped get us out."

Site workers have also spoken to the crane driver who is recovering in hospital.