(July 30, 2008)—A worker fell 60 feet to his death Wednesday when a crane toppled as crews dismantled an old bridge over the Colorado River.
Smithville police Lt. Lonny Richardson said the man probably died instantly when he fell from the top of the old bridge and landed on construction equipment below.
Officials say the crane became overloaded and smashed into a man-lift basket with two men in it, knocking one into the ravine.
The other man was injured and taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin.
His condition wasn't available.
Richardson says both men were in their 40s and were from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Their names weren’t released.
Richardson says the crane operator wasn't injured.
Department of Transportation spokesman Marcus Cooper says work had been ongoing for months to remove the old bridge.
What's remaining of it sits next to the bridge that replaced it.
Some oil spilled into the water when the crane fell but Lower Colorado River Authority officials say the spill wasn't large.
Smithville is about 45 miles southeast of Austin.
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