Crane Collapses onto Florida Home While Trying to Remove ANOTHER Crane

A Fort Lauderdale family’s long-awaited home renovation took a disastrous turn when not one, but two cranes toppled onto their house — including a second crane brought in to remove the first.

The bizarre chain of events unfolded Thursday morning in the city’s Rio Vista neighborhood, where crews were preparing a home for termite fumigation.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded shortly after 9:15 a.m. to the 700-800 block of Southeast Eighth Street after a boom truck tipped over, sending its crane crashing onto the house.

Local 10 reported that the truck belonged to Cooper Crane. Video from the scene showed the massive boom resting across the roof as the truck itself tilted off the ground.

Fortunately, nobody was inside the home and no workers were injured.

“Luckily, no one was home, and no workers suffered injuries,” Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue spokesman Frank Guzman told CBS News Miami.

But the situation quickly became even more complicated.

A second crane was brought to the property to help lift and dismantle the first damaged crane. During that recovery operation, the second crane also gave way, sending both booms back toward the home.

The double collapse caused significant damage to the roof and other portions of the property.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Ariel Alvarez said crews arriving at the scene found that the first crane had already struck the house and caused substantial roof damage. Firefighters reportedly reached the property within minutes of the initial call.

Officials also dealt with a leaking diesel tank while crews worked to stabilize the heavy machinery.

The house was later inspected and declared unsafe, according to Guzman.

The timing was especially devastating for the homeowners.

Neighbors told local news outlets that the family had spent roughly a year renovating the property and had been preparing to settle into the home.

“My heart goes out to him right now, and his family, because they were just so excited to move into this house,” neighbor Michael Fine told WSVN.

Fine and other neighbors questioned whether the way the crane had been positioned contributed to the accident, although authorities have not announced an official cause.

Fine suggested that recent wet weather could have softened the ground beneath the equipment. That remains his theory and has not been confirmed by investigators.

The investigation has since expanded beyond local fire officials.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors were seen at the property Thursday speaking with workers, according to CBS News Miami.

Cooper Crane said in a statement that it was cooperating with the homeowner, police and its insurance company.

“We’re relieved that no one was hurt,” the company said, adding that the incident remained under review and that it could not discuss additional details while that process was underway.

Removing the tangled machinery became an operation of its own.

Crews had to cut apart sections of the damaged second crane before workers could focus on uprighting and removing the original truck and boom.

By Friday evening, more than 24 hours after the first collapse, crews had removed the final pieces of both cranes.

The damaged home was left covered in part by a blue tarp and marked with an orange notice identifying it as an unsafe building.

Investigators have not publicly determined what caused the initial crane to topple.

For the homeowners, the accident means a renovation project that appeared to be nearing completion is now facing another major setback — even though, remarkably, the two crane collapses resulted in no reported injuries.