Three workers fell about two stories as a boom lift tipped over onto a work vehicle, crushing it, in West Philadelphia Friday afternoon, authorities said.
The construction equipment collapse occurred around noon on Sept. 6, 2024, along Moravian Street, near 45th Street.
The yellow lift appeared to crash down onto what appeared to be a small white work truck. The force of the impact left the cherry picker's arm embedded down the middle of the vehicle.
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One worker, 47, was killed and two other people were hurt after falling about two stories from the lift, Philadelphia police said. Medics rushed the workers to nearby hospitals, where the one person was pronounced dead and two were listed in extremely critical condition.
Witnesses said they heard a loud boom and went outside to find three people on the ground near the toppled equipment, which was being used to work on a home. One of the workers appeared to be unresponsive.
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The witnesses said they saw other workers run away from the scene before first responders arrived.
Firefighters could be seen standing near the toppled lift in the minutes after the fall.
The property manager of the building says the men were working on the air conditioners at the time of the incident.
One man, who identified himself as Tarek, said he was crossing Moravian when he saw the men fall.
“When I hit the corner I saw a bunch of debris and when it finally cleared up I just saw the three bodies laying there," he said.
He told NBC10 that he immediately got help and then called police.
“I came back and made sure nobody touched them or anything. So the workers, I don’t know where they went, they all left. So I made sure no one touched the bodies until police came and everything," Tarek explained.
Another man, Henry, was also at the scene when it happened.
“I saw three guys laying back there everybody was saying don’t touch them and they couldn’t move. Blood was coming out of one of them mouth and I touched one of them and one of them had a low pulse," Henry said.
Henry also explained that the cherry picker looked unstable but officials have yet to say what caused the crane to tip over.
The investigation is still ongoing.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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