Industrial Crane Accident Results in Severe Injuries

Case Overview

This case involves a crane accident. The plaintiff provided contract work for the defendant manufacturing facility. The facility operated hoists and cranes picking up storage containers up to one ton in weight. The containers are maneuvered onto a tram that would transport these containers to another location. In one particular instance, the crane operations malfunctioned and the container partially landed on and crushed the plaintiff. The crane “coasted” too far, causing the package to dislodge from the tram and hit the plaintiff. An expert was retained to opine on the cause of the accident.

Questions to the Accident Reconstruction expert and their responses

Please discuss your background in crane mechanics.

I have a deep background in crane mechanics. I am a degreed mechanical engineer from an ABET Accredited University. I have worked as a design engineer for a manufacturer of industrial cranes. I have designed and implemented lifting devices at facilities in which I was employed as an engineer. I am a licensed Professional Engineer and earned my Professional Engineering license utilizing the 'Product Design' principles. I have, over the last several years, as well as currently, assess various cranes, hoists, and other lifting devices for industrial clients. These assessments include strength and capacity calculations and analysis, recommendations for proper operations and load limits, recommendations for modifications to meet various load requirements, and other areas. I have worked on several crane and industrial material handling cases.

What are some of the potential forces that caused the accident?

Potential factors that might have contributed could include gravity if the hoisting mechanism allowed the load to fall downward; momentum if the load was already moving downward, but unable to stop as intended; momentum if the crane were swinging towards the tram and unable to stop where intended.

Do you have experience performing calculations as it relates to the physics/forces involved in cranes or crane accidents?

I do have experience calculating the physics and forces involved in crane operations. This can be further detailed, but above-referenced experience briefly overviews some of said experience. I have served as an expert witness in many cases involving accidents and injuries related to physics, dynamics, industrial scenarios, and mechanical engineering principles. I have worked on a handful of cases involving crane failures and/or accidents.

About the expert

This licensed Professional Engineer earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Orleans. He currently serves as the Principal Engineer at a private engineering and consulting firm. He specializes in failure analysis, root cause analysis, quality & safety system development, internal audits, preparation of quality system registrations, heavy machinery design & analysis, physics calculations, and technical training. He is regularly involved in equipment equipment design, control systems, and expert witness testimony for equipment failures and accidents. The expert is registered with the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction and has been trained/certified for CDR data retrieval.