Cranes work in concert to move stuck cement truck

DANBURY — Hours of work from rigging crews and first responders culminated in multiple cranes working in tandem to lift the cement truck from a downtown parking garage on Monday night. There were no cheers or applause upon the project’s completion, only a sense of relief from those called in to complete the work.

Mark Nolan is the owner of Nolan Realty and Brookview West, including its adjacent parking structure which gave way to the back tire of a cement truck sent to the area to continue repair work on the aging infrastructure, which he said was built in the 1980s. He said the driver of the truck was treated for “non-life-threatening” injuries and released from the hospital on Monday night.

According to Nolan, the cement truck was operating on the upper deck of the parking garage as part of ongoing repairs aimed at improving the structural capacity of the parking structure. Earlier work occurred in the spring and last year, he added.

After the first call came in for the incident, fire and EMS crews worked to contain a diesel fuel leak but emergency responders remained on the scene until the truck was lifted off. Danbury Fire Department said two to three gallons of diesel and hydraulic fuel spilled on the deck and under the garage.

Nolan said he was, “grateful and thank

ful for the fire department, the police department, and the emergency

medical team for their quick response.”

“I can’t say enough about the police department and the fire department and everybody that is involved,” he said Tuesday.

Nolan said he did not know how much the salvage work would ultimately cost him, but he will foot the bill. He said he was thankful for the help — no matter the cost — adding that until the

structural integrity of the parking building can be evaluated, there would be limited parking. Parking is available in an adjacent lot on Crosby Street.

“It’s not a matter of what is the

cost,” said Nolan. “The cost is what is going to be what the cost is…We needed the equipment to do the job and we got the job done.”

“It was priceless,” he added.

Trevor Ballantyne/Hearst Connecticut Media Cranes work to lift a truck that fell through a parking garage on Crosby Street in Danbury on Monday.

Trevor Ballantyne/Hearst Connecticut Media A crane was used to lift a truck that fell through a parking garage on Crosby Street in Danbury on Monday. The driver, who was outside the vehicle when the incident occurred, was injured.