Crane set to remove Lee statue in Dallas involved in crash

DALLAS – Officials say the driver of a semitrailer died after it collided with a crane hired to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Dallas.

Assistant City Manager Jon Fortune says the crane was headed to Lee Park when the collision happened near downtown Dallas on Sunday night.

A city news release says a witness said the crane was turning left on a green arrow. The release says the semitrailer’s driver was travelling “at a very high rate of speed” and failed to yield to the crane.

Officials hoped to remove the statue immediately following the City Council’s Wednesday vote. But several events led to delays, including trouble finding a crane.

Fortune says the accident badly damaged the crane.

Police Sgt. Warren Mitchell says there’s no indication it was anything other than an accident.