Four people are dead after a construction crane working on Google’s new Seattle office toppled down onto the road below, crushing cars and shattering windows.
In addition to the three men and one woman killed, four others were injured Saturday afternoon, according to the Seattle Fire Department. Officials said two of the dead were ironworkers and were inside the crane when it fell. The other two people were inside cars during the collapse.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said the cause of the collapse is under investigation by the state Department of Labor and Industries.
Weather might have played a role. A storm was passing through the area at the time as the crane was being dismantled. However, a weather observation station near the incident showed wind gusts up to 23 mph around the time of the collapse, which likely would not be sufficient to knock down the crane.
“We don’t know, but that’s what seems to have happened here,” Daren Konopaski, the business manager for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302, told The Seattle Times. “We are in the process of trying to get information.”
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who is a 2020 candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, released a statement Saturday offering sympathy for the families of those who died and thanked first responders.
“Trudi and I join all Washingtonians in extending our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the four people who died in this afternoon’s tragic accident in South Lake Union in Seattle,” Inslee said. “We are hoping for a full and speedy recovery for those who are injured. I thank the first responders on the scene.”
