Twenty-two have been injured after two cranes collided and became entangled near the Mueller development just east of Interstate 35 in Austin, according to KVUE Senior Reporter Tony Plothetski.
Initial reports indicated there was a crane collapse, Plohetski said. Officials later described the incident in a news conference as a collision and entanglement of two cranes, and stressed it was not a collapse.
Austin Travis-County EMS (ATCEMS) confirmed medics responded to the scene in the 1600 block of Robert Browning St., which is in the Mueller development area. ATCEMS reported Wednesday morning two cranes had collided, resulting in at least 22 people being injured.
Twenty people were evaluated by EMS officials. Sixteen people were taken to the hospital, three people refused transport and three were considered “no patients,” according to ATCEMS, making up the 22 total victim count. EMS officials said in a news conference that all of the victims were workers at the site and most of the injuries occurred as the workers tried leaving the area.
Three people were taken to St. David’s Medical Center, three people were taken to Seton Main Medical Center, three people were taken to South Austin Medical Center and three people were taken to Seton Northwest.
EMS officials said that no deaths have been reported. KVUE’s Tony Plohetski is reporting the injuries appear to be mostly minor, with one possible exception.
While there have been zero reported deaths in this incident, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Texas had more fatal occupational injuries (50) due to cranes as the next three states combined (16 in Florida, 16 in New York, and 14 in California) from 2011 to 2017. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), there has only been one fatal accident involving a crane in 2020, five in 2019 and 13 in 2018.
