Crane collapse kills one in Kelowna DT
A section of downtown Kelowna was evacuated and there was at least one person dead after a crane collapsed at a construction site Monday morning.
Kelowna RCMP say the accident happened near St. Paul Street and Bernard Ave. At least three people have been sent to hospital, including one in critical condition, but it’s likely there are more injured.
The Kelowna Daily Courier reports the crane had people on board when it collapsed at the Bernard Block high-rise construction site at around 11 a.m.
The crane crashed into an adjacent building.
B.C. Emergency Health Services dispatched 12 ambulances and two critical care teams to the scene.
“Paramedics have transported three patients to the hospital at this time: One patient stable, with minor injuries; one patient in serious condition; and one patient in critical condition.,” BCEHS spokesperson Shannon Miller said in a statement.
The crane also took down hydro lines and power has been disrupted to much of the downtown core.
Police rerouted traffic away from the area.
“RCMP is working to safely evacuate those impacted and is asking all motorists to avoid the entire downtown core at this time,” Mounties said in a statement.
The Bernard Block is a massive three-tower residential and commercial project being constructed by Okanagan builder Mission Group.
Mission Group has been contacted for comment.
WorkSafeBC says its prevention and investigation teams are responding to the incident.
“The purpose of our investigation is to identify the cause of the incident, including any contributing factors, so that similar incidents can be prevented from happening in the future,” said WorkSafeBC spokesperson Andy Watson.
Tower cranes are the largest piece of equipment used on construction sites and in B.C., they are subject to annual inspections.
“When the crane team visits a worksite, they’ll want to see the professional-engineer-certified annual inspection document, maintenance records, the operator’s certification, and — if it’s a boom truck — the stability documents,” according to WorkSafeBC. — For more on this story, visit: pentictonherald.ca (see: “Lucky to be alive”)