(7/14/1999) A Lampson LTL-1500 Transi-Lift crane (Big Blue) collapses during the construction of Miller Park in Milwaukee WI resulting in the deaths of three ironworkers. The incident was captured by an OSHA official and a motorist who happened to be driving in the area when the collapse happened.

The Big Blue was a Lampson LTL-1500 Transi-Lift heavy lift crawler crane that collapsed on July 14, 1999, killing three iron workers. Crane was operated outside of design specifications for the combination of load and wind.

The Big Blue was a Lampson LTL-1500 Transi-Lift heavy lift crawler crane that collapsed on July 14, 1999, killing three iron workers.

Accident[edit]

On July 14, 1999, at approximately 5:12 pm, the Big Blue collapsed during the construction of the Miller Park (now American Family Field) baseball stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a load of over 450 tonnes (440 long tons; 500 short tons) on the hook.[2][3] Three Iron Workers Local 8 members, Jeffrey Wischer, William DeGrave, and Jerome Starr, were killed when the suspended personnel platform in which they were observing the lift was hit by the falling crane.[3][4] A safety inspector was filming construction of the stadium on that day and captured the collapse on video as it occurred.

Wind speeds were between 20 and 21 miles per hour (32 and 34 km/h), with gusts of up to 26 to 27 miles per hour (42 to 43 km/h), at the time of the collapse.[4] The boom was rated to 20 miles per hour (32 km/h), and other workers had expressed concern at the speed of the wind.[3][4]

An investigation revealed that although the effects of side winds on the crane itself had been calculated, it had not been considered for the load the crane was lifting.

Aftermath and memorial[edit]

Three firms were fined a total of over US$500,000 as a result of the collapse.[5] The widows of the workers, Marjorie DeGrave, Ramona Dulde-Starr and Patricia Wischer, settled a lawsuit against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America, the company responsible for constructing the retractable roof of the stadium,[6] for an undisclosed total of over $99 million.[7]

Teamwork, a bronze sculpture by Omri Amrany, was installed at Miller Park in 2001 to honor the three workers.[7] The Brewers wore an Ironworkers Local 8 memorial patch on the left breast of their jerseys following the accident for the remainder of the 1999 season.[8]

Work on Miller Park was later completed with a new crane, a red and white Van Seumeren Demag CC-12600.[9]