More claims in court against crane operators

TWO Gold Coast crane companies are being taken to court for alleged injuries at two separate worksites.

Each claim was filed this month in the Southport District Court. One man alleges he severed a finger and broke ribs; the another man claims he tore the rotator cuff in his shoulder.

Andrew Peter Miosge, 35, is suing Gold Coast Cranes Pty Ltd for almost $366,000. He alleges his finger was severed when he was supervising the installation of a frame in Shark Bay, Sea World, about 7.30am on June 6, 2017.

In the court documents, Mr Miosge, a boilermaker at Sea World, claims he was watching employees from Gold Coast Cranes install the frame while his hand rested on a handrail.

The frame jolted when it hit the handrail, slipping to hit Mr Miosge’s hand, severing his finger and sending him backwards,

fracturing his ribs, alleged.

Gold Coast Cranes is accused of failing to “ensure Mr Miosge was not standing in an area where he was at risk of injury if the frame moved or dropped” and failed to “warn Mr Miosge of the risk that the frame may shift and cause him injury”.

Sea World and its parent company Village Roadshow have not been named as parties to the claim.

In a separate claim, Paul William Connor is suing AB Crane Hire and McNab Developments after he was allegedly trapped in the building site at Iconic Apartments in Kirra about 5.10pm on June 5, 2017.

The basement area where it is Mr Connor was working was fenced off when he climbed from the crane tower and went to leave the site, it is alleged.

“(Mr Connor) was required to manually force his way through the said fencing and mesh … so that he could leave the basement area of the construction site,” it is alleged in court documents.

He claims the struggle left him with an injured left shoulder, including a tear to his rotator cuff.

No-one else was on site when Mr Connor descended from the crane tower, it is alleged.

AB Crane Hire, McNab Developments and Gold Coast Cranes are yet to lodge a response to the claims.

The claims come after a third Gold Coast crane company landed itself in hot water this month with two crane collapses – including one which narrowly missed a pedestrian.

Workplace Health and Safety is investigating Falcon Cranes over the two incidents.