Gas Rig Collapses in New York
UPDATE: Looks like I'm on the same page as the Sheriff. This article says "Yessman said the collapse occurred as the workers were erecting the rig. The worker who was killed was tethered to the rig about 30 feet off the ground when the structure collapsed and fell on him, the sheriff said. Yessman said investigators would likely look into whether heavy rains may have softened the ground under the rig."
ORIGINAL POST:
A man was killed when a natural gas rig collapsed in Dix, New York at 2 a.m. Eastern this morning, Guardian Unlimited reports. It doesn't appear to be weather-related at this time.
The only weather factor that I could think of was that area has received significant rainfall overnight (between 0.5 and 1.0 inches) after a long period of dry weather, which could have an effect on the stability of the ground. Below are radar and storm-total precipitation images from AccuWeather.com RadarPlus, showing the location marked with an "X" in the center.
The closest surface observation station, Penn Yan (KPEO) reported calm winds at the time.
