Mechanical failure, wind caused crane collapse at East End Bridg - wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather & Sports

Mechanical failure, wind caused crane collapse at East End Bridge construction site

The incident was reported at 11:26 a.m. (Source: Air 3/WAVE 3 News) The incident was reported at 11:26 a.m. (Source: Air 3/WAVE 3 News)
The incident happened on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. (Source: Google Maps) The incident happened on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. (Source: Google Maps)

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Mechanical failure combined with strong winds brought down a crane late Friday morning at the site East End Bridge construction, a spokeswoman for the Ohio River Bridges Project said.

As soon as the crane began to collapse, the crane operator jumped into the Ohio River in the opposite direction as the crane. He was not injured and got out of the water quickly.

The incident happened on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River just before 11:30 a.m.

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The spokeswoman said the crane's boom was being used to remove temporary bridge supports when the accident happened.

The boom hit some structural steel, which will be assessed for possible damage, she said. Work at the site has stopped while inspection takes place.

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