Big Blue crane collapse

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Big Blue crane collapse
Aftermath of Big Blue crane collapse.png
Aftermath of the collapse
Big Blue crane collapse
DateJuly 14, 1999 (1999-07-14)
Time5:12 PM
Venue Miller Park
Location Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Coordinates 43°01′39.7″N87°58′20.6″W / 43.027694°N 87.972389°W / 43.027694; -87.972389
TypeCrane collapse
CauseCrane was operated outside of design specifications for the combination of load and wind. [1]
Deaths3
Non-fatal injuries5

On July 14, 1999, a Lampson LTL-1500 Transi-Lift heavy lift crawler crane known as Big Blue collapsed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin while working on the Miller Park venue. The collapse resulted in the deaths of three iron workers, and the injury of five others.

Contents

Background

Big Blue was a Lampson LTL-1500 Transi-Lift heavy lift crawler crane used for the construction of the retractable roof of the Miller Park baseball stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The building began construction in 1996 and was originally meant to be completed by 2000. The stadium was to become the home of the Milwaukee Brewers. Contractors and subcontractors on the project included Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America, who designed and installed the roof, Lampson International, which owned the crane, and Danny's Construction Company, which erected the steel structure. [2]

Accident

OSHA footage of the collapse

On July 14, 1999, at approximately 5:12 pm, the Big Blue collapsed during the construction of the Miller Park (now American Family Field) baseball stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a load of over 450 tonnes (440 long tons; 500 short tons) on the hook. [3] [4] Three Iron Workers Local 8 members, Jeffrey Wischer, William DeGrave, and Jerome Starr, were killed when the suspended personnel platform in which they were observing the lift was hit by the falling crane. [4] [5] A safety inspector was filming construction of the stadium on that day and captured the collapse on video as it occurred.

Causes

Following an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, it was determined that the crane was outside of the design specifications required for both load and wind. MHIA calculated the effects of side winds on the crane itself. However, it failed to calculate the load. Additionally, the king pin was discovered to not have been installed nor maintained properly. Lack of coordination between contractors was also blamed for the incident. [2]

Aftermath and Memorial

Three firms were fined a total of over US$500,000 as a result of the collapse. [6] The jurors awarded $1.4 million to each of the widows for pain and suffering, as well as $350,000 apiece for loss of companionship. In addition, Mitsubishi was ordered to pay punitive damages to the three women in the amount of $94 million. [7]

The widows of the workers, Marjorie DeGrave, Ramona Dulde-Starr and Patricia Wischer, settled a lawsuit against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America, the company responsible for constructing the retractable roof of the stadium, [7] for an undisclosed total of over $99 million. [8]

Teamwork , a bronze sculpture by Omri Amrany, was installed at Miller Park in 2001 to honor the three workers. [8] The Brewers postponed their home game against the Kansas City Royals scheduled for the day after the accident out of respect for the victims and wore an Ironworkers Local 8 memorial patch on the left breast of their jerseys following the accident for the remainder of the 1999 season. [9] Work on Miller Park was later completed with a new crane, a red and white Van Seumeren Demag CC-12600. [10] The accident delayed the planned opening of Miller Park in 2000 until 2001. [7]

References

  1. ↑ "Case Study: The Day Big Blue Fell". ThinkReliability®. September 9, 2019. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Stemp, Bruce A.; Walewski, John (October 2011). "Lampson Transi-Lift Mobile Crane: Concept, Design, and Use". Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. 137 (10): 785–792. doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000380. ISSN   0733-9364.
  3. ↑ Ross, Bernard; McDonald, Brian; Vijay Saraf, S.E. (September 2007). "Big blue goes down. The Miller Park crane accident" . Engineering Failure Analysis. 14 (6): 942–961. doi:10.1016/j.engfailanal.2006.12.002. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Big Blue Crane Accident: A tragic day at Miller Park". The Miller Park Scrapbook. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  5. ↑ "The Great American Ballpark (A)". Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Three Firms Fined For Total of Over Half-Million Dollars". OSHA. January 12, 2000. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 Fallone, Edward A. (2001). "Reflections on the Accident at Miller Park and the Prosecution of Work-Related Fatalities in Wisconsin". Marquette Sports Law Review. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Doyle, Candace (June 6, 2001). "Monument, statue honor Miller Park workers". The Daily Reporter . Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  9. ↑ "MLB Jersey & Cap History | MLBCollectors". mlbcollectors.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  10. ↑ New red-and-white crane replaces `Big Blue' at Miller Park site Archived 2019-05-25 at the Wayback Machine The Journal Times, Dec 9, 1999.
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