UPDATE 5.00 p.m .: An 80-ton crane that fell into three coastal houses is back on its wheels after a mammoth operation.
The crane fell into Benjamin Crescent’s homes in Nirimba at around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 30th. The police said it was a miracle no one was injured.
After an epic effort by Clayton’s Towing, largely held on Friday, the crane’s boom was retracted at 5 p.m. with the large rig on the wheels.
Troy Morris, general manager of Clayton’s Towing, said the crane will stay on site until Saturday morning when it is brought to a hard stop.
“It was successfully recovered and is back on the wheels,” he said.
“They are now reducing the restricted areas and bringing some people back into their homes.”
It was a big job when Clayton’s tow owner Mike Clayton announced earlier this week that up to 15 people would be involved.
A number of vehicles were also used in the recovery, including two tow trucks and another crane.
It’s been a rough week for the homeowners concerned. A young family wanted to move hundreds of miles to stay with relatives after struggling with their insurance company.
EARLIER: The removal of an 80-ton crane that fell into three houses is making good progress. The hope that the big rig is on the wheels and is gone before the weekend.
The crane fell into Benjamin Crescent’s homes in Nirimba at around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 30th. The police said it was a miracle no one was injured.
Clayton’s Towing, which was tasked with removing it, stabilized the crane on Saturday before the preparatory work began on Tuesday.
After Clayton’s Towing received the all-clear from Workplace Health and Safety, he was finally able to begin the first phase of the removal process on Thursday.
Three houses were damaged when a crane overturned in Nirimba. Image: Patrick Woods.
To do this, a mega tow had to secure the crane and connect an external hydraulic control unit to the crane.
The crews then hooked up the remaining extended legs and hooked up to the crane extension hydraulics before a big Friday, the day scheduled for the final leg.
Cranes and heavy tow trucks were set up early, and the crews lifted the boom slightly away from the houses to close the boom.
Three houses were damaged when a crane overturned in Nirimba. Image: Patrick Woods.
Troy Morris, general manager of Clayton’s Towing, said everything was going well from 3:30 p.m. on Friday with the hope that the crane would be gone before the weekend.
“They have already retracted the boom over a roof and are still working their way through (the others),” he said.
“But everything is going according to plan and they hope they try to recover and turn it around in the next few hours.
“It’s a slow process.”
