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Investigation, construction continue after deadly crane collapse
By Ryan Denham
rdenham@pantagraph.com
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NORMAL -- Work had resumed Thursday at the north Normal construction site where a 33-year-old ironworker was killed Wednesday, and officials said it could take a month or longer to determine what caused the crane collapse that crushed him. | Oklahoma City crane fall kills man watching construction

Joshua Dawe, 33, of Topeka was in the basket of an aerial lift Wednesday morning when a crawler crane’s boom, which was being used to set girders and joists, collapsed onto the basket. Dawe, who was alone in the basket, was killed instantly, authorities said.



Joshua Dawe


The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the coroner’s office on Thursday were continuing their investigation into the collapse, the latest in a series of fatal crane accidents across the U.S., the latest coming Thursday in Oklahoma City. One person was killed and a second injured in that incident.

Meanwhile, work at the new Wildwood Industries logistics center under construction continued in limited form Thursday, mostly on the exterior of what will be a 500,000-square-foot building across just short of 70 acres.

“Everybody out there knew this young man,” said Bill Johnston of Johnston Contractors. “These people are suffering, but they’re doing what they need to do.”

Dawe, who had been with Iron Workers Local 112 since 1999, left behind a fiancee, Jennifer Clark, and an infant daughter, Joslyn Dawe of Topeka, in Mason County.

The collapse damaged one of the prefabricated concrete walls already in place as well as some metal beams in place for the roof. The town of Normal and OSHA had staff on site Thursday to “make sure everyone was on the same page” as cleanup progresses with Johnston and crane-operation subcontractor Area Erectors, said Scot Williams, plans examiner and inspector for the town of Normal.

Gary Wilder, Wildwood’s president and chief executive officer, said the collapse was not expected to caused a significant construction delay. The project, set for completion Oct. 1 and about 60 percent complete, had already been hit with weather-related delays that helped set it back four to five weeks, including an April wind storm that knocked down part of a concrete wall.

“We certainly feel very bad that a man so young was taken so early,” Wilder said.

About the investigation

Preliminary results of an autopsy performed Thursday indicate Dawe died from blunt-chest and abdominal trauma due to being compressed under a heavy object, McLean County Coroner Beth Kimmerling said in a statement.

While OSHA officials declined to give specifics on their investigation, they said similar probes typically start with a look at the daily and annual inspections, move on to interviews with crew members and go from there, said Barry Salerno, acting area director of OSHA’s Peoria office.

The crane was a 110-ton capacity Link-Belt crawler crane being operated by an Area Erectors crew, Johnston said. A message left with an Area Erectors spokesman on Thursday was not returned.

Beyond simply not picking up a load that’s too heavy, the most common causes for crawler-crane failures involve wind and the machine being operated on an unlevel surface, said Dr. Steven Smith, P.E., a forensic engineer and Washington, D.C.-based group manager for CTLGroup, a structural, architectural and engineering consulting firm based in Skokie.

While those types of failures largely come down to human factors, investigators also would look at the crane’s design and condition before the collapse, said Smith, who has been a part of several investigations into similar accidents across the U.S.

Crane-safety oversight

Several officials said Thursday that the contractors themselves are largely responsible for oversight of crane-operation safety on a daily basis. OSHA has specific training requirements but no standardized certification system, Salerno said, and the town of Normal doesn’t have requirements beyond that.

Employers are required to inspect machinery on a daily basis for general working condition, such as checking cables, Salerno said. Employers also are required to have a detailed annual certified inspection following American National Standards Institute guidelines, Salerno said.

While Normal building-inspection staff routinely visit construction sites, their primary concern is what’s being constructed, not necessarily work-place safety, said Greg Troemel, director of Normal’s Building Inspection Division.

But town staff said they would raise concerns if a unsafe condition was obvious. Williams said that although it’s unclear if and how town policy will change in light of Wednesday’s accident, staff in the short term would be taking a closer look at contractors’ maintenance schedules to make sure they’re filled out correctly.

It remains to be seen if recent fatal crane accidents — in New York, Las Vegas, Houston and the one Thursday in Oklahoma — show any statistical significance, Smith said.

But with increased scrutiny on crane safety comes discussions about setting a standardized and nationwide certification process and equipping more cranes with tracking and “black box”-style technology, among other changes, he said.

Michelle Koetters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.



How to help



Memorial contributions on behalf of Joshua Dawe can be made to the Joslyn E. Dawe Education Fund in care of CEFCU. More information can be found at www.preston-hanley.com.

Take a look
A Normal police officer stands with construction workers visibly shaken after the collapse of a crane at a construction site in north Normal on Wednesday. (The Pantagraph/STEVE SMEDLEY)
A construction crane's boom lies collapsed over a section of steel roofing Wednesday morning on the southeast side of a large building being constructed in north Normal. (The Pantagraph/STEVE SMEDLEY)
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Reader comments on this story - 35 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

CraneOp wrote on Jul 25, 2008 9:21 PM:

" Thoughts and prayers with Josh and his family. Also to all other tradesman on that job site. As a crane operator myself, I know this has affected every crane operator. Unexplained accidents happen that only the man upstairs knows the reason. May we only find out when we too get there. "

gradechecker wrote on Jul 25, 2008 3:24 PM:

" To the baby girl who will never know her Daddy, to her mother, to all of Josh's family and freinds who will need strenght to keep his memeroy alive, and to Local 112 who proudly call this man your brother:
We feel your grief. We're your brothers and sisters in the Trades. You are family. Your loss is our loss. Just as we stand proudly on the ground supporting our brothers who work the air, we're here for you now, and again, and again. Some met Josh on a worksite, some didn't. We all know him just the same. We have went home to our families, went to bed, we have got up, went to work, all with a heavy heart. Things need to be built, there are schedules to keep, families to feed, bills to pay. You have remained in our thoughts and prayers.
BabyGirl, we're passing our hardhats, giving what we can, whatever way we can. Together we make a difference. You may grow up not knowing Daddy, we know who you are. You will know us by words we use, hardworking, strong, proud, brave, brotherhood, united and union....... Sleep tight. "

leroymom wrote on Jul 25, 2008 7:06 AM:

" Very sad. This was a young man. And he left behind a baby that will never know her father. This is very disturbing to me. To Ms. Clark: I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and Mr. Dawe's family. Hopefully everyone on here will quit being selfish and start thinking about those who are suffering right now. "

Ironworker498 wrote on Jul 24, 2008 8:55 PM:

" My thoughts and prayers go out to all my brother Ironworkers that have been touched by this tragic event. Don't let a day go by without telling the ones close to you that you love them before heading out to work each and everyday. This is a dangerous job we have, and you never know what the day will have in store for you. From Local 498 to our brothers of 112. Joshua Dawe's family, friends, and brother Ironworkers will be a part of our thoughts and prayers during this trying time.

R.I.P. "

JimmyChooGirl wrote on Jul 24, 2008 11:23 AM:

" My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Josh and to the other construction workers who risk their lives daily. "

mannie wrote on Jul 24, 2008 10:51 AM:

" I feel great distress for all involved. This is something that will weigh on all of their hearts for the rest of their lives. This is a great tragedy to all unions involved. Prayers with the operator who is at no fault, Prayers with the families who lost a beloved one early in life, and prayers for his baby who will grow up not knowing their father personally. This is becoming a to common factor and they need to make better inspection on those huge crawler cranes, an annual inspection has become no longer good enough. Let’s not lose more lives before that make the adequate changes to their procedures let’s make the changes today! "

rrhcs wrote on Jul 24, 2008 10:19 AM:

" First to the family, friends and coworkers, our hearts go out to you. It is a loss felt by all. To normalguy.... I disagree with your union theory. It is a known fact that because someone SAYS that they know how to operate a piece of equipment, be it a backhoe, skid steer, track hoe, crane, or any other kind of heavy equipment, they are sent to run machines that they may have zero experience in. Union does not = experience.... experience equals experience, familiarity with a machine and matainance are the best safety factors. A union card does not mean you have experience or are safe. "

PantaReader wrote on Jul 24, 2008 7:32 AM:

" Our prayers go out for Josh and his family, including his family of coworkers who are all hurting from this loss. May all workers everywhere be protected. God bless you all. "

Eric H wrote on Jul 24, 2008 12:56 AM:

" This and the concrete truck tip-over a few weeks ago have really reminded me how important it is on a jobsite to plan ahead, know where you can escape to, look twice, not sweat the extra few seconds to go around the safe way instead of the risky shortcut, etc. (from the story it doesn't sound like the man who was killed had neglected any of these; I hope that no one else had, either). I'm very sorry to hear of this. Every time my family drives or bikes by this site, my 2-year-old asks, "Crane doing?" Now that question will be a reminder to me to ask God to comfort this gentleman's family. "

3mom wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:14 PM:

" Well written comments "bishop1211". My prayers and thoughts go out to all of you who worked with Josh, and of course, to his friends, and family. "

alexp wrote on Jul 23, 2008 9:46 PM:

" To 2tired: But we don't see reports of crane collapses in China. And b4 anyone say the media is suppressed there that isn't the case. We got lots of news about the earthquake. "

bishop1211 wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:56 PM:

" thank you all for your comments i am an iron worker who is on that site, josh was a brother and well liked in our hall. thank you for your prayer request for him and his family they will need everyone of them now. your right it is a dangerous trade one of the top 5 and no matter how much training and experience these tragedies happen. we are union and trained and experienced and we love our trade. josh died doing what he loved instead of looking for fault lets take a moment to remember our fallen brother. may he be remembered because he will be missed. "

boilermaker wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:29 PM:

" best wishes to his father and family "

normalguy wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:21 PM:

" glad we have unions, imagine how many more tragedies there would be without them. "

My Thoughts... wrote on Jul 23, 2008 7:36 PM:

" To Frank: News Flash "Drugs and alcohol are NOT always the cause of accident". Alot of the time it is just a malfunction.- a defective part..a worn cable.....I have worked around ALL kinds of cranes in my lifetime and have found that the inspections are done regularly - as mandated by OSHA. Then when a person doing a "visual" inspection doesn't see that the cable may be worn a little- then boom....the cable twists/breaks.....
My thoughts and prayers are with this family- "

thunderstruck wrote on Jul 23, 2008 6:39 PM:

" As a fellow construction worker (laborer) and someone that worked all last week at the site it hits home.
People call us overpaid alot, this is what hapens when we risk our lives to build things. I feel for the family, we go to work assuming things will go wrong and prepared for when they dont but it's still sad news "

pseudo-intellectual wrote on Jul 23, 2008 6:28 PM:

" Is it possible accidents involving cranes are being reported more thoroughly by the news media? Remember the summer of shark attacks just before 9/11? When I lived in California, after an earthquake the national media would report any quake greater than Richter 2.0, even though these occur all over the world every day. We sometimes forget how much construction involving cranes is taking place in this country, even in smaller communities. The deaths and injuries are tragic, but these cranes are used in very complicated, inherently dangerous work in multitudes of places. We shouldn't be surprised when there are accidents. "

jaz23 wrote on Jul 23, 2008 6:05 PM:

" My thoughts and many prayers to the family "

east payson st wrote on Jul 23, 2008 6:04 PM:

" boomer up,cable up,peace be with you brother. "

Annienap wrote on Jul 23, 2008 5:41 PM:

" Are all of these cranes built by the same company? If so, what company is building them? I, too, have thought some kind of sabotage because there are just TOO many collapsing and TOO often. May God Bless this family and the friends and co-workers of this young man. "

cats55ire wrote on Jul 23, 2008 5:18 PM:

" Thoughts and prayers to the family!!! God bless you! "

AM wrote on Jul 23, 2008 3:58 PM:

" No, it's not Chinese steel. Most of these cranes have been here for years. Prayers for the family and all the brothers and sisters on the site. "

thoughts a million wrote on Jul 23, 2008 3:47 PM:

" A little research shows all are different:
--New York City officials are under bribe investigation for failing to inspect cranes.
--Las Vegas crane death was from a worker walking on a moving crane and getting crushed in a moving part.
--Miami deaths were from a crane mounted on the side of a building that was lifting another section, which fell.
--Houston deaths were from a portable crane that collapsed that was not in operation. It was not scheduled to be used until the following week.

Bad Chinese steel? Our "best" cranes being sent overseas? Come on readers, do a little research before resorting to paranoia!! "

Brother Ironworker wrote on Jul 23, 2008 3:12 PM:

" I can tell by the hard hats that it was an ironworker killed. These men risk their lives building the place you work, you shop. Please do not place blame or put politics in it. Union ironworkers are the safest most well trained tradespeople in the Industry. Please pray for the victim and the victims family. And also pray for his brother ironworkers and the other tradesmen on the job, I have witnessed the fatalities of two of my brother ironworkers and it affects you for the rest of you life. God bless you all my thoughts and prayers are with you. "

New Nana wrote on Jul 23, 2008 2:30 PM:

" Very sad....Again, thoughts and prayers to the Family. By the way, a crane accident just killed one in Decatur about three weeks ago. This was railroad construction. "

ONLY IN AMERICA wrote on Jul 23, 2008 2:22 PM:

" My thougths and prayers go out to the workers & the victim's family. "

What The Hey wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:46 PM:

" God Bless and give comfort to those involved. Spanky - you can rest assured that OSHA will be involved. "

2tired wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:31 PM:

" This was an accident from 2 pieces of equipment colliding. This was from the crane just failing, like you have been reading about. Also there is nothing wrong with the equipment here in the states, and our best equipment is not being sent over to china. The equipment they are using over there wouldn’t pass inspection here in the states. "

nicksmynick wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:19 PM:

" I am beginning to wonder if someone is traveling the country specifically to sabotage these construction cranes.

Or it is a reflection of Chinese steel........ "

zorro wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:03 PM:

" Construction workers are a very close-knit group of men and women. This tragedy touches each and every one of us. God bless their families. "

woodyzhouse wrote on Jul 23, 2008 12:45 PM:

" I just want to say how sorry I am for all of the construction workers and family of
this man. This kind of story is a terrible tragedy for anyone involved. May he rest
in peace now. "

Spanky wrote on Jul 23, 2008 12:34 PM:

" Way to many of these types of accidents lately! This needs to be really looked at hard by OSHA and other government agencies!! "

upsmom wrote on Jul 23, 2008 12:24 PM:

" Do you know why these cranes fail, because all the good ones that we(America) used are now being employed by China And Dubai, we now have the inferior ones. To early to tell if that was the case here but it should anger people that we now are at the bottom of the totem pole for safe top of the line equipment. My heart goes out to the workers and the families in this tragedy. "

Jarhead71 wrote on Jul 23, 2008 12:11 PM:

" "default" is correct about this. What is going on with the setup or materials used in these construction cranes. This makes about the sixth or seventh time in as many months that one of these collapses has happened across the USA. Is it a material fault, a setup defeciency, or a design flaw? "

default wrote on Jul 23, 2008 11:41 AM:

" Wow, this is happening all over the country these days. "
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