From the April 2008 issue of  Lift & Crane

NEW YORK, NY - Two construction workers were injured when a 200-foot crane snapped in half as it was transporting lumber. Fire officials said the crane was freestanding and not attached to any building. According to the Building Department, the load the crane was carrying was too heavy. Witnesses say the construction had been progressing very fast. Three nearby buildings had to be evacuated. The two workers were taken to a hospital. Officials are investigating the accident.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - A worker suffered spine injuries when he slipped and fell while climbing a 110-foot crane. The man reportedly said there was ice on the crane that made him slip. The 46-year-old worker, who was wearing a safety harness, was left suspended about 80 feet in the air before a rescue team could lower him down to an ambulance gurney.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Two men were injured when the battery on a scissor lift exploded. The construction workers, ages 40 and 45, were splashed with battery acid after the explosion.

PACIFIC JUNCTION, IA - A man died after a crane installing gas pipeline at a construction site collapsed, trapping him beneath. Officials say the worker was taken to the hospital by helicopter ambulance, and died after. Officials are investigating the cause of the collapse.

MIRAMAR, FL - Two workers narrowly escaped being crushed by a 1,000-pound steel beam after it fell 75 feet from a crane at a construction site. One worker was transported to the hospital with a back injury. The other worker was not injured. The two were on a lift about 3 feet above the floor, and were being hoisted up to install the beam. The beam hurled toward them, striking a metal rail lining the lift and falling to the ground. According to fire rescue authorities, had the beam fallen 5 feet in a different direction, they could have been killed. The impact knocked one of the men toward the beam, but the worker was saved from toppling over by a harness. Officials were investigating the accident.

OLDMANS TOWNSHIP, NJ - A worker at a cold storage site was injured when he was struck in the head with an iron beam. The beam fell approximately 25 feet from a crane before it hit the man. Officials say the laceration he suffered to the head was not life-threatening. The man was airlifted to a medical facility. OHSA is currently investigating the accident.

GILLETTE, WY - A worker was injured when trying to attach a cable to a transformer pole. The bucket he was in was tipped over by a co-worker operating a forklift. The 44-year-old was taken to the hospital with back and chest injuries, and later transferred where he was listed in stable condition.

PENSACOLA, FL - A man was killed when a load of scrap metal fell off a truck and landed on him. According to a witness at the recycling center, the accident happened when the worker operating a truck was dumping cargo. He pulled on a chain holding the metal. The load shifted, falling off the truck and on top of the man. Officials are investigating.

VINELAND, NJ - A worker was injured when a forklift ran over his foot. The worker was discarding boxes when he turned around, unaware of the approaching forklift that was backing up. Witnesses said the warning signal was sounding when the accident occurred.

BONITA SPRINGS, FL - A worker was killed when a wall fell over and crushed him. A crane was moving a giant exterior wall into place when it hit another wall. The second wall fell over and on top of the man. OSHA is investigating the accident.

BUFFALO, NY - A forklift operator was killed at a recycling facility when the vehicle fell off a loading dock and crushed him. Officials say the operator was turning the forklift around when the accident occurred. OSHA is investigating.

LAURENS, SC - A forklift operator was killed when another forklift overturned on him. Officials said the forklift that was outside the plant became stuck in the mud. Other workers there tried to use a second forklift to free it when the second forklift overturned on the 51-year-old, killing him instantly. The South Carolina Department of Labor is investigating. One of the men was treated for minor injuries at the scene and the other was transported to an area hospital, where he's listed in stable condition.

VANCOUVER, B.C. CANADA - A man died after the small, 9-ton mobile crane he was operating tipped over unexpectedly, pinning him beneath the cab. Officials do not know if the man fell out or if he was trying to get out. The crane was lowering a bucket of materials from a main deck to a pedestrian walkway under construction below him. When he swung the arm over the crane lost its center of gravity. Officials are investigating.