Man dies, another loses arm when crane overturns in Kansas

HOLTON, Kan. – A man was killed and another lost an arm when a mobile crane overturned at a roofing job site in northeast Kansas.

Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse says the men were in a lift basket 30 feet (9 metres) from the ground Wednesday afternoon when the crane toppled over in Holton.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 66-year-old John Zibell was killed. The surviving man was taken to a hospital about 80 miles (130 kilometres) away in Kansas City, Kansas. His arm was amputated.

Morse says the workers were using the crane to access the roof of a three-story house. He says it was sitting on sloped ground that was soft from recent rains. Federal officials are investigating.

Morse described what happened as “traumatic, grim and horrid.”

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Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com