A look inside the Florida home, crushed by crane
By Meghan Moriarty
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MERRITT ISLAND, Florida (WESH) — It was a chaotic scene in a normally quiet neighborhood Wednesday after a crane truck tipped over, crushing a family’s home.
“Typically, every day my husband and I would be sitting here having our coffee, getting our day going,” Amanda Crane said.
She and her husband, Jim — who, ironically, have the last name Crane — routinely spend their days in their kitchen. Thankfully, on Wednesday, neither was inside their home.
It was Amanda’s day off, but she was taking her new rescue dog to the veterinarian.
“So she saved my life, and I saved her,” Amanda said.
Her husband, Jim, was outside telling the crane operator he didn’t think the space next to their home was the right place for the machinery.
“I said, ‘I think this is a very bad idea,’” Jim said.
Big Iron International told WESH 2 that the company owns the crane and had been fixing power poles in the neighborhood. A spokesperson said the crane went down because it was parked on top of a water line that, they say, was not disclosed to them.
Albert Bleakley, a Florida Tech professor and engineer who specializes in construction management and disaster response, said, “Being over top of a water line, per se, would not cause that to happen. Being over top of a water line that may have leaked or something and weakened the ground — wet ground is only about half as strong as dry ground.”
The Crane family had recently redone their floors and installed a new air conditioning system. But they said they’re just grateful everyone is OK.
“These are material things, and yes, I’m upset, but thankful that no one was hurt,” Amanda said. “That’s what’s most important.”
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