Crane collapse amid high winds kills 2 at Florida hospital construction site
A business owner nearby described the winds as “particularly strong” earlier that afternoon. The cause of the collapse is under active investigation.
After a fatal crane collapse at a Florida hospital site, AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter urges businesses to prioritize wind and weather impacts.
Two construction workers were killed Wednesday when a large crane collapsed at the site of a new Cape Canaveral hospital located on Merritt Island, on Florida's Space Coast, according to officials.
The collapse happened during a period of strong winds and rain in the afternoon. The crane fell across the site, crushing a work truck and damaging part of the building’s roof. The two injured workers were pulled from the wreckage and taken to a nearby hospital, where they later died. Work has since been suspended.
(Photo Credit: The Space Coast Rocket)
“This was a serious weather-related incident,” Lance Skelly, spokesperson for Health First, the company building the hospital, said in a statement. "We extend our deepest sympathies to the families, loved ones and all those affected.”
High winds and rain passed over Merritt Island on Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service office in Melbourne issued a special weather statement warning of strong winds and advising people to seek shelter in a sturdy structure as a line of storms moved through the area.
"There were thunderstorms in the vicinity. Those thunderstorms were producing, at times, gusty winds," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said. "Rapidly increasing winds associated with nearby thunderstorms generated wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph in the area at the time of the collapse."
Porter also explained that the direction from which the wind was blowing may have suddenly shifted which can create issues for equipment like cranes, especially when coupled with sudden bursts of wind.
"This wind speed, importantly, was not high enough for the National Weather Service to issue a severe thunderstorm warning for the public but it can be very dangerous for some industries, especially for construction and crane operators, concert venues and other operations that are outdoors," Porter said.
Gilbane Building Co., the company managing the construction, confirmed that the two victims were trade workers, one employed by Baker Concrete, the other by a separate contractor. Neither worker’s identity has been released.
A nearby business owner described the winds as “particularly strong” earlier that afternoon, according to Florida Today. The cause of the collapse is under active investigation.
“We are supporting our trade contractors and working with authorities to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident,” Gilbane said.
The site is closed down while officials investigate the scene of the collapse.
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