Update to the Hawaii self-erector tip story. News in Hawaii isn't what I'd call complete. I wouldn't characterize US news in general as good as it's based on popularity. I asked around and got the story. You might say that this is the rumor mill, but it's reliable.
The model was an IGO 21 and not a 50. It's a little crane with only 3900 lbs capacity in tight. This explains the Jeep;s roll bar having the ability to shield the tourists from being crushed. As you might recall, two ladies were sitting in a Jeep when the crane fell over them, but the roll bar saved their lives.
The reason for the collapse is so shocking it's funny. To be clear, I don't know who was who here, or who was doing the work. The crane was purchased in the not too distant past. The assertion was that this was the first job for the crane. They are going to dismantle the crane. Instead of reading the manual and making a step by step checklist and putting someone who knows the process in charge, they just started working. (These manuals are very detailed, use great drawings and the steps are numerically ordered. For the most part, you don't even have to know how to read.) The first thing they did was remove the counterweight. The second thing they did is yell "No, No, No!" and watch some ladies luckily live.
This is one of those stories that leaves me feeling incredulous. Maybe I've just been spoiled, but I don't know what goes through someone's head that leads them to make these types of decisions. What would make a person pull the counterweight on a crane with 80 feet of boom standing out there? It's stories like this that must be shared, simply so that it can be prevented and we can be encouraged to do things right the next time.
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