May 23, 2008 - 1 Killed, 3 Injured in Crane Collapse

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A crane collapsed early Friday morning at a Kansas City Power and Light (KCP&L) construction site, killing one person and injuring three others. At 7:30 a.m., the 200-foot-tall crane tipped over on to its side and collapsed.

"While it would be premature to speculate as to the exact reason for the accident, it appears the crane had sent its boom up to check the wind speed at the site, and having determined that the wind speed would preclude safe operations, was in the process of lowering the boom when the incident occurred," according to a KCP&L press release.

The accident victims worked for independent construction contractors and were not employees of KCP&L. They were working on a new coal-fired power plant at the at the construction site, said a spokesman for KCP&L.  There were an estimated 300 contractors working at the site, the spokesman said.

One victim was released from the hospital and the other two are still hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, KCPL said. The victims’ identities have not yet been released.