Pair killed in crane accident were from Yorkshire

TWO MEN who died after a crane collapsed have been named by police.

Cheshire police said David Newall, 36, from Bradford, and Rhys Barker, 18, from Castleford, died after the crane collapsed at the building site in Crewe, Cheshire, on Wednesday.

Both men had been working at the site on Dunwoody Way and died at the scene.

A 45-year-old man from Glossop was yesterday in a stable condition at the Royal Stoke Hospital.

A force spokesman said postmortem examinations showed both men died from crush injuries.

An investigation into the circumstances is being carried out by police in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive.

Emergency services were called to a site at 4.30pm on Wednesday following reports of a collapsed crane.

A parent and child in a house damaged by the falling crane were taken to hospital for a checkup as a precaution but were not injured, North West Ambulance Service said.

Speaking on Thursday, Jonathan Seddon, chief executive of Seddon, which runs the construction site, said: “I’m deeply saddened to say that following the incident involving the erection of a crane, two people working on site have lost their lives, while a third remains injured in hospital.

“The crane also struck an adjacent house. The occupants were taken to hospital and have since been discharged.

“On behalf of everyone at Seddon, I’d like to offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of those who so tragically lost their lives yesterday.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with everybody involved, and words cannot express how we feel.”

Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service said its crews had released one casualty, who was taken to hospital by air ambulance, and that firefighters isolated gas and electricity supplies to two nearby properties while they recovered the two men who died.

Control of the houses was handed over to police once their structural safety had been confirmed.