FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A crane has toppled onto a home in Fort Lauderdale while attempting to bring a shed into the backyard, taking several power lines down.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene at a home located along Northeast 57th Street and 19th Terrace, just before 12 p.m., Friday.
7SkyForce HD hovered above the scene where the crane could be seen toppled onto the roof of the home and partially resting on power lines near the backyard.
The crane lifted a shed over the top of the home and attempted to bring it to the backyard when it toppled over.
A body camera captured the moment the crane came crashing down.
Aerial views showed the straps still attached to the shed that was placed partially on the neighbor’s property.
Officials said the home was unoccupied at the time of the incident.
7News has learned the homeowner and her daughter are currently on vacation.
Her son, Justin Riggs, described what his initial reaction was when he was notified about the toppled crane.
“Shocking. I was shaking on the way home. I didn’t know what I was going to witness or come back home to,” he said.
Riggs said he received a frantic phone call from a neighbor.
“Raced from work, came home, I see everything going on, and I see this mess,” he said.
Video recorded by FLFR crews shows a large role in the ceiling and debris scattered inside the home.
There were some pets inside the house, but they were not hurt.
However, the home sustained some structural damage.
“At this time, we’re not completely sure what caused the crane to collapse,” said FLFR Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan. “However, the extensions were fully out, the stabilizers on the crane. When you look closely, you can see that both of those stabilizers on the one side of the crane have gone completely into the ground, so it appears there was some failure with the ground that caused the crane to go over.”
The crane operator suffered some bumps and bruises, but he is otherwise OK.
Fuel was leaking from the vehicle but a temporary fix has been put in place to keep it contained.
Riggs said he’s just thankful it wasn’t worse.
“I think these things here wouldn’t happen here, you know? No one wants them to happen,” he said. “Unfortunately, it did. Things can be replaced. Again, no one was hurt, and that’s the best of it, I guess.”
“If anybody would have been inside this house, this would have been a completely different story,” said Gollan.
Florida Power and Light crews responded to the scene to de-energize the powerlines.
Tow truck companies brought three trucks to bring the crane upright and remove it off the roof.
As of Friday evening, no estimate has been given as to the cost of the damage.
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