Preston worker 'crushed to death by crane'

4:23pm Tuesday 8th July 2008

A construction worker was crushed to death when a crane toppled over on a Liverpool building site, an inquest has heard.

Zbigniew Swirzynski, of Dovedale Close, Ingol, Preston, was struck by a 2.4-ton concrete counterweight that fell from the crane in Seel Street.

Liverpool Coroner’s Court heard that ropes that had jammed at the back of the cab had caused a “massive overload” before the collapse.

Other parts of the crane were catapulted over a line of terrace houses, landing in the street and smashed into cars parked next to the site.

Geoff Frackelton, principle specialist inspector for the Health and Safety Executive in the North West, said: “The crane crashed down very violently and as it did it turned over and struck a partially constructed lift tower.

"As it did it turned upside down and landed on a building.”

He said the investigation had shown a “gust” of wind of around 82kph, 10kph above maximum safe operating speeds, had blown the arm of the crane upwards without setting off alarms in the crane’s cab.

As a result a steel rope connected to bars joined to the arm of the crane started to loop behind the driver’s cab.

The inquest, which was heard in front of a jury, heard that the hook, which was carrying a load of concrete columns, on the end of the cable linked to the arm of crane caught on part of the tower’s lighting.

When the crane turned in an apparent attempt to free the hook the ropes jammed at the back of the cab and caused a “massive overload”.

He said although the ropes and pulleys at the back of the driver’s cab had a bar to prevent them “jumping” these had not prevented the rope looping.

He said: “It is seen even with this bar the rope can jump over the pulley and jam between each pulley.”

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