A 53-year-old man is dead and his 19-year-old son suffered serious injuries after a crane toppled over in downtown Montreal on Sunday.
The incident occurred shortly after 10 a.m. near the corner of Rene-Levesque Boulevard and St. Denis Street, close to the Universite du Quebec a Montreal’s campus.
Montreal police say the two men were on the approximately 20-metre long crane, which was attached to a truck, when it overturned.
The truck came to rest in a vertical position on the sidewalk.
The 53-year-old man fell more than five stories and was trapped underneath the arm of the crane. A second crane was required to lift it before firefighters could reach him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His son was taken to hospital after suffering a head injury. He is in serious but stable condition and is expected to survive.
Several people were also treated for shock.
Police believe the two men were washing the windows of a nearby building.
They say there is damage to a building that may have been caused when the crane flipped over.
About 40 to 50 gallons of gas that leaked out of the crane was also contained, according to the chief of operations of Montreal’s fire department, Rob Lagace.
The cause of the incident isn’t yet known.
Montreal police will assist the province’s workplace health and safety commission, CNESST, in a probe of the incident.
Source: CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Sunday, April 10, 2016 3:35PM EDT
Last Updated Sunday, April 10, 2016 9:01PM EDT
