Crane collapses onto several homes in Lauderhill; 2 injured

LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - Several homes have been damaged and two people were injured after a crane collapsed in Lauderhill.

Lauderhill Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene near Northwest 11th Street and 44th Terrace, just before 4 p.m., Wednesday.

Officials said workers were replacing power poles when something went terribly wrong.

“At some point during the operation, the crane lost stability. It lost stability, and the crane fell towards the houses,” said Lauderhill Assistant Fire Rescue Chief Jeff Levy. “The crane landed on one house with major damage. It also clipped the second house, which has some damage but not as much as the first.”

Officials said one of the homes damaged is now uninhabitable.

“It’s not every day you see something like this. Now, you just have to worry about something falling onto your house,” said Rebecca Middleton, who heard the crane crash.

According to fire rescuers, the crane operator and an occupant of one of the homes suffered minor injuries.

“He got hurt on his head and on his hand,” said the aunt of the occupant.

Natalie Smith’s home was damaged, and she told 7News her mother was inside at the time of the collapse.

“You hear your mother is OK, but my mother is an elderly woman, and you don’t know how they take these things,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, at the time, she was home alone. I had to rush here and see what was going on.”

Crews said the crane was erecting a Florida Power and Light pole when it toppled over. Around 50 outages were reported due to the collapse.

The standing water created concern because FPL indicated the lines that came down were energized. The power was turned off so FPL crews could make repairs to the lines.

A precautionary boil water notice was also issued as a result of the collapse. The order is in effect for people residing in the areas bound by:

• Northwest 11th Street to Northwest 12th Street on Northwest 43rd Terrace
• Northwest 11th Street to NW 12th Street on Northwest 46th Avenue
• Northwest 43rd Terrace to Northwest 46th Avenue on NW 11th Street

The public is advised to boil all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth or washing dishes. The order will remain in effect until further notice.

Water and Sewer Department has responded to repair the damage done by the collapse.

Officials brought a crane larger than the one toppled to help in the removal process, which continues Thursday.

As crews continue their investigation and work to remove the crane, residents are thankful this nightmare wasn’t worse.

“They can always give us somewhere else to stay, but you can’t replace my nephew, you can’t replace my kids,” said the aunt of the occupant who suffered minor injuries.

Officials are still investigating what caused the crane to collapse.

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