'Talk about angels': No one hurt when crane falls at Cedar Rapids courthouse construction site

UPDATE: No one was injured when a 550-ton crane toppled over at a construction site in southeast Cedar Rapids this morning.

The crane, being used to build a new U.S. Courthouse, fell over near the intersection of First Street and Seventh Avenue SE around 11:10 a.m., crunching the corner of a temporary office building, a smaller modular construction trailer and a pickup.

At least six people were inside the office building and one was inside the construction trailer when the crane fell.

Jim Snedegar, project manager with the U.S. General Services Administration, said he was in a conference room inside the office building when he and others heard a "very loud, thunderous crash."

"It shook the building," said Snedegar, of Kansas City, Mo.

Doug White, regional field coordinator for Ryan Companies, confirmed that no one was injured.

Cedar Rapids Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow said the crane came upon some uneven ground just before it fell, likely causing the accident.

"We are very fortunate that no one was severely injured," Buelow said.

Buelow said a male around 45 to 50 years old was operating the crane for Dawes Rigging and Crane Rental, which is based in Wisconsin. They were working with Ryan Companies of Cedar Rapids.

Between 50 and 60 workers were on the construction site when the crane fell, Buelow said.

"It's our understanding that they were building another tower crane that will be part of the construction process," Buelow said.

Matt Ellis, 40, of Lexington, Ky., said he heard the crash while he was in a consulting meeting in the Great America Building.

"It sounded like somebody blasted dynamite or something," Ellis said.

Ellis said construction workers on the site swarmed to the crane, checking for anyone who might be injured. About five minutes after the crash, he saw the crane operator stick his head out of the cab.

"Talk about angels," Ellis said.

The new federal courthouse will eventually replace one at the corner of First Street and Second Avenue SE that was damaged by flooding in June 2008.

Firefighters with hazardous materials training cleaned up a small amount of diesel fuel and hydraulic fluid that leaked from the crane, Buelow said.

Both the Dawes and Ryan companies will be investigating the incident, officials said.

"We've got to go through a very thorough investigation, and until that takes place, we won't know any timelines," Snedegar said. "Obviously GSA and Ryan Companies take safety very seriously."

Statement from Ryan Companies regarding the incident:

At approximately 11:15 a.m. today, an assembly crane hired by a Ryan subcontractor was traveling across the Cedar Rapids Federal Courthouse construction site when it tipped over. Damage at the site was limited to one corner of the construction office, one corner of the guardhouse and two construction trucks. No one was injured in this incident.According to Ryan's safety protocols, we immediately opened an investigation into what happened. We will cooperate fully with all investigators and review what happened to make sure our safety procedures continue to reflect best practices. We will resume our construction schedule when the investigation is completed.

According to Ryan's safety protocols, we immediately opened an investigation into what happened. We will cooperate fully with all investigators and review what happened to make sure our safety procedures continue to reflect best practices. We will resume our construction schedule when the investigation is completed.

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