Worker impaled in Victoria crane mishap
Last Updated: Wednesday, July 28, 2010 | 3:55 PM PT Comments10Recommend11
CBC News
A crane operator was trapped for two hours and impaled on a piece of metal when a mobile crane toppled over as it was being moved at a Victoria worksite on Tuesday.
A police spokesperson said it appears the crane slipped over the edge of an excavation site and landed on its side, impaling the operator on a piece of metal.
The crane operator, Mike Doval, was trapped in the cab for nearly two hours.
Doval, described as a licensed and certified crane operator, was cut from the debris and taken to hospital.
He had been volunteering with a team building a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses at Shelbourne and Ryan streets.
Bill Middleton, who chairs the regional building committee for Jehovah's Witnesses of Vancouver Island, said Doval had surgery on Tuesday to remove the rebar from his side and is now recovering in hospital.
He said it's expected Doval will be released next week.
Police say it's not clear whether WorkSafeBC has jurisdiction to investigate because Doval was voluteering at the time of the accident.
UPDATE: WorkSafe won't cover injured crane operator
A crane operator is rescued by emergency workers following an industrial accident on Shelbourne Street. By Arnold Lim - Victoria News
Published: July 28, 2010 11:00 AM
Updated: July 28, 2010 11:40 AM
Man's body punctured as crane topples
Erin Cardone
News staff
A man trapped and punctured by rebar inside a toppled-over crane won't be covered by WorkSafe B.C.
Although he is a certified crane operator, Mike Doval was volunteering his time as he worked at the site of the future Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses on Shelbourne Street, near Ryan Street.
As he drove the crane, it slipped on a dirt embankment, fell over and trapped him inside at around 2 p.m. Tuesday. A piece of rebar punctured his side near his kidneys, said Const. Mike Massine, a Victoria police spokesman.
It took more than an hour for emergency crews to pull Doval from the flipped crane. He was taken to Royal Jubilee Hospital where he underwent a 45-minute surgery that night, said Bill Middleton, chair of the regional building committee for Jehovah's Witnesses of Vancouver Island.
"We're very thankful Mike came through the operation," Middleton said, adding Doval is a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses community. "His wife and family are with him now."
Doval was a crane operator by trade until his retirement. Both Doval and the crane are certified, Middleton said, and the regional building committee is now filing investigation forms with their Toronto branch to begin insurance proceedings.
"We have insurance for all our projects," Middleton said.
A WorkSafe B.C. investigator has been to the work site, but volunteer work doesn't fall under WorkSafe's jurisdiction.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/victorianews/news/99483964.html