Big Blue crane collapse explained

Time:17:12
Venue:Miller Park
Location:Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Coordinates:43.0277°N -87.9724°W
Type:Crane collapse
Cause:Crane was operated outside of design specifications for the combination of load and wind.[1]
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Reported Deaths:3
Reported Injuries:5
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The Big Blue was a Lampson LTL-1500 Transi-Lift heavy lift crawler crane that collapsed on July 14, 1999, killing three iron workers.

Accident

On July 14, 1999, at approximately 5:12 pm, the Big Blue collapsed during the construction of the Miller Park (now American Family Field) baseball stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a load of over on the hook.[2] Three Iron Workers Local 8 members, Jeffrey Wischer, William DeGrave, and Jerome Starr, were killed when the suspended personnel platform in which they were observing the lift was hit by the falling crane.[3] [4] A safety inspector was filming construction of the stadium on that day and captured the collapse on video as it occurred.

Wind speeds were between 20and, with gusts of up to 26to, at the time of the collapse.[4] The boom was rated to, and other workers had expressed concern at the speed of the wind.[3] [4]

An investigation revealed that although the effects of side winds on the crane itself had been calculated, it had not been considered for the load the crane was lifting.

Aftermath and memorial

Three firms were fined a total of over as a result of the collapse.[5] The widows of the workers, Marjorie DeGrave, Ramona Dulde-Starr and Patricia Wischer, settled a lawsuit against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America, the company responsible for constructing the retractable roof of the stadium,[6] for an undisclosed total of over $99 million.[7]

Teamwork, a bronze sculpture by Omri Amrany, was installed at Miller Park in 2001 to honor the three workers.[7] The Brewers wore an Ironworkers Local 8 memorial patch on the left breast of their jerseys following the accident for the remainder of the 1999 season.[8]

Work on Miller Park was later completed with a new crane, a red and white Van Seumeren Demag CC-12600.[9]

Because of this accident, Miller Park did not open until 2001. It was supposed to open in 2000.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Case Study: The Day Big Blue Fell. ThinkReliability®. September 9, 2019. August 14, 2022. August 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220812014052/https://blog.thinkreliability.com/case-study-the-day-big-blue-fell. live.
  2. Ross. Bernard. Big blue goes down. The Miller Park crane accident. Engineering Failure Analysis. 14. 6. McDonald. Brian. Vijay Saraf. S.E.. 942–961. 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2006.12.002. September 2007. 2014-04-27. 2014-04-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20140427191320/http://www.deepdyve.com/lp/elsevier/big-blue-goes-down-the-miller-park-crane-accident-Kkaghu1Y3x. live.
  3. Web site: Big Blue Crane Accident: A tragic day at Miller Park. The Miller Park Scrapbook. July 30, 2014. April 13, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140413130810/http://www.millerparkscrapbook.org/content/big_blue_crane_accident.asp. live.
  4. Web site: The Great American Ballpark (A). Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). July 30, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140413124848/https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/success_stories/compliance_assistance/abbott/stadium_construction.html . April 13, 2014.
  5. Web site: Three Firms Fined For Total of Over Half-Million Dollars. OSHA. January 12, 2000. July 30, 2014. April 13, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140413140443/https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=764&p_table=NEWS_RELEASES. live.
  6. Web site: Fallone . Edward A. . 2001 . Reflections on the Accident at Miller Park and the Prosecution of Work-Related Fatalities in Wisconsin . April 1, 2023 . Marquette Sports Law Review . April 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230401054948/https://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://en.wikipedia.org/&httpsredir=1&article=1208&context=sportslaw . live .
  7. News: Doyle. Candace. Monument, statue honor Miller Park workers. July 30, 2014. The Daily Reporter. June 6, 2001. August 8, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140808045831/http://dailyreporter.com/2001/06/06/monument-statue-honor-miller-park-workers/. live.
  8. Web site: MLB Jersey & Cap History MLBCollectors . 2023-03-25 . mlbcollectors.com . 2023-03-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230330191259/https://mlbcollectors.com/MILjerseys.php . live .
  9. https://journaltimes.com/news/state-and-regional/new-red-and-white-crane-replaces-big-blue-at-miller/article_0a4791be-137a-5f3a-a897-60b6d242298d.html New red-and-white crane replaces `Big Blue' at Miller Park site

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