Crane lifted off Pinellas County condo days after collapsing

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. - After a day and a half, crews finally lifted a crane Wednesday that had collapsed into a condo in Pinellas County.

The crane collapsed into one of the buildings at the Crystal Bay Condo Complex around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, displacing residents. No one was hurt. 

After several hours of trying to remove it Tuesday, crews said the cranes they brought in to get the initial one out were too small.

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On Wednesday, they brought in a third crane and worked for close to five hours to lift the one that collapsed.

"As they picked that crane up off of the building, we certainly didn't want the overall vehicle to slam back down onto the ground because then it could become unstable left to right and fall on a different building or fall right back to where it was," Barry Smith, the structural engineer representing the condo association, said. "So, it was quite the intricate process as they tried to pick the crane up."

Smith said they had two other cranes there to help catch it as it tipped back into place. The process drew an audience of residents and out-of-towners, alike.

"I drove down from Brooksville this morning once my friend Terry sent me the pictures, and I'm retired," Thomas Aleksandrowicz, whose friends live in the building, said. "I used to do recovery work like this. So, this is an exciting event."

"Not everybody’s going to have this tale to tell," Linda Arant, a resident, said. 

The attorney for the Crystal Bay Condo Association, Adam Bild, said the crane was loading materials onto the roof for the roof replacement project that’s going on. 

He said the crane exceeded its ability to lift and tipped over, but he’s not sure if that was due to the weight it was carrying, or something operationally with the crane itself. Bild also said the wind on Tuesday morning could’ve contributed to the collapse.

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Crews lifted the crane inch by inch, and by 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the entire crane was off the roof. It was greeted with cheers from both the audience that formed, and the crew themselves. 

There was no further damage. 

"It was nice to know [Tuesday] that no one was injured when it occurred, especially the people that were involved with the crane itself, and thankfully, they took care of it and everyone is safe," Arant said. 

Smith walked through the building after the crane was removed. He said it was structurally sound and was impressed at the minimal damage. The building’s management gave residents the all-clear, and they returned home.

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"It’s certainly impressive. It's a testament to how well the building was constructed. You know, obviously, I wasn't here when the crane actually fell over and contacted the building," Smith said. "But certainly, the building held up very well and it remains in a structurally intact state."

County officials said Smith, the structural engineer representing the condo association, will share his building assessment with county inspectors, and they’ll determine whether they need to conduct a follow-up inspection.

FOX 13 reached out to the crane company, Beyel Brothers Crane and Rigging, and are waiting to hear back.