Giant crane topples over while lifting building materials and embeds arm in roof of £700,000 house in leafy Essex town
- A mobile crane toppled over while dropping a load over a house in Essex
- The driver was trapped in the cab for two hours until he could be freed
- An investigation into the circumstances of the incident has been launched
- The roof of the house was damaged when it was struck by the crane’s jib
An investigation was underway today into how a giant mobile crane toppled over and embedded itself in the roof a £700,000 home badly damaging it.
Shocking pictures captured yesterday how how the crane tipped over after it had being lowering material over the property.
The crane’s arm embedded in the homes roof in Billericay, Essex – an area known as Millionaire’s Row.
A mobile crane operator had to be rescued from his vehicle yesterday after it toppled over while trying to drop a load into the back garden of a house in Billericay, Essex
The driver had extended his outriggers for dropping a heavy load over a longer distance however these did not prevent the crane toppling over with its jib hitting the roof of the house
Pictures show the vehicle tilting at a while angle, with just sets of wheels on the ground and its jib crashing through the roof of the large detached property.
The crane is owned by London company Snooks Lifting.
Company manager at Snooks Lifting Scott Warrington said: ‘Everyone is and the crane is down safely. We are just investigating into what happened.
‘This was a crane only hire job which comes along with a driver but the specific job was planned and executed by a third party company.’
Firefighters and the ambulance service rushed to the house yesterday following the incident, which took place shortly after 12 noon.
The crane was being used to lower materials over the property, but tipped over and fell onto the roof of the house, leaving the house badly damaged.
Fire crews and ambulances from Billericay, Basildon and Chelmsford worked quickly to rescue the driver of the crane, who was freed by 2pm, and left in the care of the ambulance service.
A spokesman for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘Firefighters were called to assist at the scene of a crane which had fallen onto the roof of a house in Billericay.
‘The crane was being used to lower materials over the property, but tipped over and fell onto the roof of the house.
‘When firefighters arrived they reported that the driver of the crane was trapped inside the cab of the crane.’
A spokesman for the East of England said: ‘We were called at 12.14pm with reports of an industrial accident in Horace Road, Billericay.
‘We sent the hazardous area response team, one ambulance, a rapid response vehicle and two ambulance officers. One ambulance remains at the scene.’