Workers seriously hurt as lorry clips crane (From York Press)

Workers seriously hurt as lorry clips crane

11:02am Friday 3rd August 2007 in News By Haydn Lewis, haydn.lewis@thepress.co.uk

TWO men are in hospital after being catapulted from a crane three storeys down on to a busy York street.

Shocked passers-by saw the two workmen being flipped out of their "cherry picker" aerial platform down onto the pavement below, on Bootham, at its junction with Bootham Terrace, just before 11am yesterday.

The accident happened after a passing HGV clipped the arm of the crane carrying the pair.

The men, both from York, were taken by ambulance to York Hospital and were later transferred to Leeds General Infirmary.

One of the men was on a ventilator suffering from a fractured skull and eye injuries, but was said to be in a stable condition.

The second man was also in a stable condition, having suffered rib and facial injuries.

The road was closed to traffic in both directions between its junctions with Gillygate and Water Lane while police and the Health and Safety Executive investigations are being carried out, leading to lengthy traffic tailbacks.

The men, one who works for York-based firm Birch Construction Plant Hire and the other who is believed to be a private contractor, are said to have been carrying out work outside a house on Bootham - although the precise nature of the work is not yet known.

Joseph Sandford and Gavin Barrett were sat on a bench opposite the scene and watched the drama unfold.

Mr Sandford, 19, of Wolf Avenue, in Tang Hall, said: "The cherry picker was at the top of the roof of the houses so I think about 30 feet up and the arm of the crane was sticking out into the road. The lorry was going out of town and just clipped it.

"It all happened in split seconds, the next thing we knew was the guys on the platform were being thrown through the air and smacked down on to the pavement.

"They made a real thud when they came down - we were just stunned." Mr Barrett, 39, who is at the Arc Light Centre, said: "You could see it was going to happen, but we could do nothing to stop it. The two guys must have been in their 30s I reckon. They were just workmen and it looked like they might have been going to do something to the tree there.

"They were pretty badly hurt, and I'd be really surprised if they survive that fall.

"It has really shaken me up."

Cleaning ladies from nearby Bootham School came out with wet towels and blankets to try and help the two injured men while the paramedics arrived.

One man, who didn't want to be named said: "The noise was incredible.

"I didn't see what happened, I just heard this huge thud and came running out to see the two guys just lying there in the street.

"It was really hard to believe this happened to be honest. I just hope they are alright and my heart goes out to their families."

Chris Birch, managing director of Osbaldwick-based Birch Construction, said: "This has been a huge shock to everyone in the company.

"It is believed the two men who have been hurt, one is a Birch employee and the other is a private operator who hired the machinery.

"Our plant manager, David Brown, and myself have been down to the site and we are waiting for news."

Local GP Richard Wright, from Gillygate Surgery, was also on the scene and helped treat the pair.

Dr Wright did not want to comment when The Press approached him.

North Yorkshire Police spokesman Tony Lidgate said investigations were on going last night and appealed for any witnesses to phone 0845 6060247.

Closure leads to traffic jams

THE closure of Bootham well into the rush hour resulted in traffic chaos on the surrounding roads.

The resulting road closures meant many roads on the north side of the city were gridlocked.

Richard Eames, managing director of bus company First York, said: "There have been considerable problems as a result of the closure of Bootham.

"We only have one route, the number two, that uses that road specifically, but there has been a huge knock-on affect on routes going across the city as Bootham is an important artery and its closure means passengers have faced rather lengthy delays in their journey time."

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: "We are anticipating some real traffic problems around the city as the road will be closed well into the evening rush hour."

The road finally reopened just after 4pm.

Accident timeline

* 10.56am: Ambulance Service gets the first of many calls saying there has been an accident involving men being thrown from a cherry picker on Bootham* 11am: Passers-by and local residents rush to help the injured men who are lying on the pavement outside a house at the junction of Bootham Terrace and Bootham. Within minutes two ambulances arrive and take both victims to York Hospital* 11.15am: Police close the road to traffic in both directions between its junctions with Water Lane in the north and Gillygate in the south* 11.30am: Health and Safety Executive accident investigators move in to examine the scene* 4pm: Bootham finally reopens to traffic