Big Blue Collapses in Milwaukee

[@Champwsox05]

I'm a Chicagoan who loves going to Miller Park. RIP to the three individuals who died that day. It was nice of the Brewers to construct statues of those three outside the ballpark.

[@KOHF34]

The original operator whom refused to work under these conditions should get a Congressional Medal of Honor.

[@Del-Canada]

I used to work high steel in the nineties. When I saw this on the news I felt sick. I knew people died even before it was disclosed.

[@Bigbadrussian420]

my dad and i were there about twenty minuets before this happened, dropping off a load of stone... god rest their souls...

[@hysteria914]

I live in Milwaukee and actually at the time, lived like ten blocks from the stadium... but I remember this day clearly... they confirmed the very same day that it was too windy for the lift. Right in front of the Home plate enterance to the stadium there is a momument for the three iron workers who died during the accident.

[@Bulldog1653]

I'm a licensed construction safety instructor and use this video as one of my learning aids.

[@jesussaves884]

The original crane op consulted his manual and seen that due to the winds (which were estimated to be roughly 26+mph with 35mph gusts) his cranes lifting capacity was limited to 80%. And since the lift was 92% of Big Blues capacity before counting for the winds, he refused to do the pick. Aggravated, the boss sent him home and found another guy who would. The screeching sounds u hear first is the swing brake. The crane under load started to sway in the wind and when the op applied the swing brake it was not strong enuf to hold the crane. Next you hear some lil pops and general moaning and groaning which was the booms lacing (the little zig zagged tubes I between the 4 cords, making up the boom) followed by a couple louder pops which were the pendant lines (the long static cables which run up the back of the boom for support) and then ultimately after some of the lacing and pendants gave way you hear the loud booms pops and cracks which was all of the above plus the cords themselves collapsing (cords are the 4 long tubular pipes that run vertical up the outside of the lacing making up the boom). The crane op can be seen jumping out of the cab just before the crane topples over hitting and killing the 3 workers in the man lift in the crane behind big blue. Had he been a smart man this wouldn't have happened however had he been a good op as soon as he noticed the swing break failing he should have dropped the load which would have wrecked the load and parts of the building but would have saved 3 people's lives. The cowardly crane op is still in jail to this day. The boss also served time but unfortunately has already been released. The crane op in the other crane which was lifting the man lift was hurt pretty bad as a lot of the wreckage landed on his cranes cab but he did live. I don't know for sure but would highly doubt he still operates cranes... And based on the amount of money he was awarded, he certainly doesn't have to.

[@Videosv135]

You're the man. Thanks for explaining.

[@bbender1986]

you take any OSHA class they show this video every time

[@axessoul]

clash PROD really?

[@boilermakerthings3438]

This is copypasta and also mostly horseshit. Nobody served anytime. Re: the operator. That crane was DONE. Read up on the disaster. The centre pin shot right out of the crane. The centre pin holds the entire thing together. All the BS you wrote about the boom failing is nonsense. Source: Am rigger.

[@acetate909]

Boilermaker Things Thank you. I live in Milwaukee and assure anyone reading this that non of the crew served jail time.

[@cwdressen]

No contractor has EVER told me to pick something I wasn't comfortable picking. The operator is ALWAYS ultimately responsible for what happens. ALWAYS. If you want to say he represents Mitsubishi in his decisions, fine. But to blame a whole company based on one man's decision is very wreckless.

[@OakIslandBandit]

This was shown to us in a rigging update class after it happened.I might be wrong,but we were told that it was filmed by some OSHA reps who had been called out to the site because management insisted on flying,even in high winds.They had just got out there.To the left there were three Ironworkers in a man basket when this was filmed.Every time,before I do a lift or rig,I think of these 3 guys,and others I've know who didn't make it.In the blink of an eye,it happens so fast,be safe brothers.RIP

[@Hectorxfan]

They were running behind on the project and went against osha laws and three men died bc of it

[@sfs2040]

I remember seeing this at the news. Tragic. And I go to 2-3 Brewers home games every year and never think of this.

[@ComputerClan]

I saw this, after it happened. It was a mess. RIP those three men.

[@Mayala285]

It feels weird seeing you here

[@ComputerClan]

@@Mayala285 Oh, ha. I guess that happens. : p

[@joshtisch6983]

My statics teacher was on the investigations team after this accident. He showed us the FULL video (good quality and complete with rampant curses of the safety person taking the video). Best lecture I ever attended.

[@RuthsFather]

You hit the nail right on the head. I remember the whole labor and money dispute. Once that crane fell, everyone took a little break, and started to use their brains, rather than their pocketbook to move things along.

[@HatedHumanist]

i remember this on the news, can't believe it's already been 8 years.

[@MAGICGABKILLER]

Already been 20 years

[@ctek4life]

Actually, there were several consulting engineers working on this job. The lawyers didnt just make this stuff up. The part about the copper spacer are correct. It was spec'd to be out of hardened steel. The King pin (12" diameter) failed as a result of this copper spacer failing. It was a chain reaction that was ultimately caused by the wind. However, would not have failed if the spacer was the correct material.

[@maxezz9]

The screeching sound you hear is the thick cables slipping againt the drum...the booms are either or both welds breaking and or the structure of the crane imploding or collapsing..at :52 the crane operator runs for his life..at 1:00 the collapsing crane impacts the man-basket where the 3 men were in.. RIP

[@wonderfulhuman161]

Thanks for the breakdown- been around cranes a little bit and never heard those sickening sounds thank god. Never saw the Operator running until you mentioned it. The cab appears to have survived somewhat intact. What became of the rig on the other side of the stadium? A tandem pick? Those poor men in that basket in the distance.I read about the law suit and the$paid to Ironworkers families. The bastards that sent those men and assembly into that wind should go straight to hell and not pass go.

[@generationll]

This happened 10 years ago on my birthday

[@paulj2005]

When you hear that big boom, RUN!!!!

[@davejay15]

Something else lost through time. I talked to some of the Ironworks a couple of days after the crash. The one guy I talked to said that earlier that morning 12 guys walked off the site because they were worried about being under the roof in the wind conditions of the day. Also he said to me. They had to redo the cabling on the lift 7 times I think that day. Just to get the roof piece to sit correctly for the lift. Point is they knew the windy conditions . And the crane operator . This was his last job before he retired. He should have walked away from the job. He s got to live with that. That s tough.

[@davejay15]

Question. If the OSHA guy was there taking pictures and looking into to of the safety concerns. Why didn't t he shut down the lift. Don t they have that authority. He knew the windy conditions. It was 5:15 pm

[@RoseMaddison]

How terrible. RIP to the people who died.

[@cck4141983]

I heard the intended crane operator refused to operate the crane due to the wind load. Another person for the company got in the crane and went ahead with the lift anyway. The winds caused a side load on the boom, and then the pins snapped and it was all over. This story was too bad.

[@arthurtang28]

That's terrible! R.I.P to those three men.

[@gigaswardblade7261]

What does this have to do with fzero?

[@NayAKAZRULES]

Idk probably the name

[@RazeSBG]

Wow! everytime i watch it, i can feel my jaw drop! If I was a drinker I'd be tippin a bottle over for those 3 men who lost their live in the line of duty. Everyone thinks the cops put their lives at risk every second, but Men doing construction and oilfield literally are at higher risks more hours of their shift then any cop out there.

[@alisaishere]

I actually just met with one of the attornies who worked on the lawsuit. The loud banging/thuds you here is the large copper washer/spacer, which was too weak of a metal for this machine, splitting and being ejected from between the counterweights and the larger nut. Part of it was the wind as well. Big Blue might be a strong crane, but can only be tilted a quarter of inch off laterally. There are reports that the three men gave directions to turn into the wind, not with the wind like it should.

[@118Cheeseoid]

may those three men R.I.P.

[@natezemanek]

heartbreaking. May God Bless them.

[@nuklear41]

The exact date this happened is not only displayed in the video, but said as well. You should be able to know exactly how old you were.

[@axessoul]

nuklear41 -1 years old, lel

[@triton115]

I guess I am not the only one that had a terrible 1999. That falling crane did a lot of damage, including to the stadium.

[@joyariffic]

oooooooooh wooooooooooo. how sad. im a milwaukee native

[@FenriZz]

16 years ago?!?!

[@mikeclem3927]

every osha class in the world will show you this video

[@cwdressen]

What the hell does Mitsubishi have to do with it? This crane went down because they picked a section that was too large at a time when it was too windy!

[@brissiAU]

Watch the wind change dirrection ,by looking at flags, also apparently they only had a 6% safty margin and due to the change in wind direction it placed aditional dynamic loading on it ,the first noise is the drum brakes trying to slow the load down, the second noise is the turntable bolts shearing off!

[@cwdressen]

You have yet to answer my question... What did Mitsubishi have to do with this accident? The answer is NOTHING. This video was taken by OSHA! This was ruled an accident due to wind. They NEVER should have been out there picking this section because of the wind. Mitsubishi has NOTHING to do with this accident. You are a sad, classic case of someone who needs to find fault in this situation.

[@wonderfulhuman161]

Thanks brother. He did run like a little girl didn't he? Was looking at this nightmare in the wake of the tragedy here in New York where we lost 6 union brothers + that poor woman this weekend. Pray for the dead- fight like hell for the living.

[@lexmarks567]

I watched this On TV last night I could have sworn he said this was in Michigan

[@davejay15]

I was coming up from racine northbound on 94 right at the split of 94 and 894 . I saw the crane with the roof section . I remember thinking man it is windy out here. What are they doing trying to set that thing today. I looked away and looked back.... and it was gone... shit what happened to the roof. My next door neighbor in Green Bay was a guy named Dale degrade. I think that digger was his brother. I was really bummed about that day. Here s something most people don t know. The stadium is in the valley. But at the west end of the valley. For some reason its a windy place. And the wind gets funneled down right at the stadium. And the valley kinda goes up a hill to the west. So wind was a huge factor that day. We had winds all day. In the valley it could very well have been more than 25 miles per hour. So sad all because they were behind schedule. They should have put the Mitsubishi guy in the bucket alone. Bet the lift wouldn t have happened. He should have gone to prison for manslaughter. And his bosses too.

[@Tokimime31]

wow, that is bad, that must have been messy :(

[@jiwbink]

I have been on disability for almost 5 years now.And I too thought/think about those brothers (and many others too) that didn't get to come back home to be with their wives,children and loved ones. I know that they ARE missed ESPECIALLY during this time of year..BROTHERS and SISTERS PLEASE BE CAREFUL-THE LIFE YOU SAVE MIGHT JUST BE YOUR VERY OWN! GOD BLESS ALL THOSE MISSING THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS THAT ARE NO LONGER WITH US HERE!!

[@SeanMichaelUpton]

what do you think was making that screeching sound?

[@ComputerClan]

And by saw it, I mean in person, after it happened that is.

[@HawkEM2]

Wasn't expecting to you here!

[@ComputerClan]

@@HawkEM2 Hello

[@HawkEM2]

Wasn't expecting a response but thanks! Love the scam videos about fake products and stuff, really fun to watch.

[@ComputerClan]

@@HawkEM2 Thank you

[@marc80s]

What are those loud booming noises just before all hell breaks loose???

[@blitzkrieg556]

marc80s The sound would be the pin connecting the boom to the turret shearing off.

[@marc80s]

Is there anything to be done once that starts happening? Or is it game over at that point?

[@blitzkrieg556]

At that point there is nothing that could be done. Once the pins shear there is nothing keeping the boom in position and it is free to tip over. The cause of it was lifting a max capacity load in high winds. Though the crane was capable of lifting the roof section the added force of the wind far exceeded the load rating for the crane causing the pins to shear. And it's unlikely the crane in the back round holding the 3 Ironworkers would have been able to move in time to save them.

[@volcomfr3ak]

i barely remember this cuz i was only 3 at the time. but i remember my dad got called into work for a while cuz the crane hit some kinda sewer thing or something and my dad worked for MMSD at the time. R.I.P to the 3 men who were killed

[@molleywood]

There are 3 men in a man basket on the crane in the back ground...it looks like the pendant (of big blue) just hit the jib(of crane in the background) caused there horrible accident......RIP brother Ironworkers

[@metfan5115]

RIP F Zero Racers.

[@Packersrulealways]

People died, not the best time to make a video game joke. Douche.

[@setsers1]

Packersrulealways Lighten the f*ck up. That was then. This is *NOW* I feel your pain but don't get too mad over the joke

[@thebeastwithin6978]

+MC Void Survivalist Slippy

[@7kngz]

17 years later... This video is literally older than me

[@axessoul]

TFilms3T lel

[@davejay15]

One last point. Trying to save time they decided to do that section as one lift. If I'm not mistaken the other side of the roof piece was put in place in two lifts. Ie. Both pieces would be half the weight of the one big piece. And probably much easier to maneuver into place. I ve always wondered why they attempted that lift so late in the day. I it s windy 2 there was no personal around to help and 3 how did they plan on securing that section overnight. Or were they going to just leave it on the lift till morning.. three guys could not have bolted the beems together. They would have been there way past sundown. How many bolts per beem would they have needed to secure the section.. 4 how could they have aligned that section with the other half of the roof in that wind. They had to know the difficulty in that. Losts of dumb things done. I suspect because they were being driven by the employer. Maybe bonuses were a factor too.

[@hobomike6935]

This happened in 1999. During the 70s and 80s, huge safety concerns were overlooked if it meant saving some $$, and nearly all of the responsibility for safety was _always_ shifted to workers making some “common sense” error, rather than unsafe working conditions or inadequate equipment/engineering standards causing the accident. If a disaster occurred, both the public and the company looked for a particular employee or employees to “blame” and hold both financially and legally responsible. This put employees in a positions where they would either lose their jobs by not doing what the supervisors demanded, or would lose their lives attempting an extremely dangerous act to satisfy crews who didn’t want to be patient or didn’t want to buy extra equipment, or wait for better conditions.

[@hobomike6935]

It was generally frowned upon to hesitate to do a job: men are expected to work quickly, do the job exactly as told and without question, and any resistance was seen as either insubordination, “weakness” for being afraid to do something that might get you hurt, or laziness in not wanting to do the job. In addition, Unions and worker requests for safety upgrades/working conditions were met with significant resistance because they were seen as signs of communism ( the Cold War neared its height in the late 70s and mid 80s) and a threat to the economic feasibility of projects and businesses. In 1986, all of these conditions came into play in Russia’s Chernobyl, which caused the worst nuclear accident ever. Finally, towards the 90s, people began to value life more than the accomplishment of a job, and OSHA’s increased strength began helping workers be treated fairly; workplace harassment decreased, conditions improved, and employees working dangerous jobs began to get paid more appropriately (they were no longer seen as “grunt workers” who deserved minimum wage.) This is one of the unusual “significant” accidents that caught widespread media attention because it happened at a time where safety culture was a more serious concern, and helped to fortify the position of OSHA and safety necessities.

[@nuklear41]

You.....You serious? He says it right at the end. "i think and i was 4"

[@kml616]

Not only was it the wind's fault, but many of the ironworkers refused to work that day. The main operator refused to make the pick, and the crane was being operated by the oiler. This was due to intense pressure applied by Mitsubishi, who was found criminally negligent in this accident.

[@NoferTrunions]

Burried in these comments are mention of how the main kingpin failed due to substituting a copper washer for a steel one. There are pics of the massively bent 12" king pin which came out of the track assembly. If you look closely, the last bang before the crane went over produced a puff of smoke that came from underneath the chasis. This was probably the retained popping off the kingpin and hitting the ground. There is a guy standing right at the tracks that then runs away.

[@bainesca]

wow.. thats being at the right place at the right time.. or not, depending on how you wanna look at it. great vid.

[@bassistx81]

We had the same kind of accident in stuttgart (germany) last year. 1 man died.

[@alpharaptor1]

you can see people being thrown from a bucket in the other crane behind big blue

[@DetroitLove4U]

Where were the three men that lost their lives positioned? How much time are those two foreman and crane operator doing for this?? That's unfair in my opinion. How much did this tragedy set back the completion of the ball park and what was damaged? How much do those cranes cost??

[@KyleCaughlin]

Did the families of the 3 workers who were killed ever file a lawsuit?

[@iNNeViTable1]

I remember this...why? because I am a HUGE wrestling fan. WWF was suppose to have WrestleMania 2000(16) here in Milwaukee, but bcuz of the big blue collapse they went to Cali instead...:/

[@olstar18]

@MrBillAll No they knew about the wind but unfortunately they didn't figure in the wind with the weight from the structure itself properly.

[@ShowtimeOrtega]

Damn that shits fucked up,may they R.I.P man

[@skanless79]

Damn

[@bluesmurf777]

the first big bang was the primary shear pin on the crane not the hydraulics. this crane didn't have a hydraulic system

[@kellymoses8566]

It was way too windy to lift that section

[@sunstarfire]

Why the hell are those men who died heroes?? They were poor souls in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing heroic about that. You need to get off the idea that every person who dies is a hero. They did not jump to rescue someone and give their life doing it... Sheesh. Grow up.

[@Tiger11246]

The fail grammar makes the meaning a bit unclear, but the 'I think' was referring to being on the I94

[@HotCizzle]

My parents were driving past and 5 minutes later it fell

[@Rubyredskin]

makes my stomach sick

[@axessoul]

Rubyredskin I know....me to..

[@Rubyredskin]

man i just watched it again. few dudes got mashed up in that. jeeze

[@axessoul]

Rubyredskin mashed up? Like their guts smashed in? jeez....

[@Rubyredskin]

there was 4 guys in lifts waiting under it. yeah. im sure guts came out.

[@axessoul]

Rubyredskin Oh...jeez

[@syamsulalam5061]

wow...

[@joshtisch6983]

And no it was not Big Blue's fault. It was the idiots from Mitsubishi that decided to try and put up the thing (which was 97% of Big Blue's capacity) on an extremely windy day with the air vents CLOSED on the roof piece. It was pretty much a big sail with wind blowing orthogonally to BB's plane of support.

[@Netbug]

He never said he thought he was 4... read again.

[@bowlesgroupllccom]

I would say more blame to the PM than the operator.

[@BeeTeeAtom]

@stoopkid80 the stadium was under construction your friend was not almost hit by it.

[@freshman1213]

Hahah what a loser

[@axessoul]

Marc Conte ?

[@axessoul]

Jeffrey .Hall you were?

[@alisaishere]

Look up every name brand on everything in your house and see how many lawsuits are linked to those names. How many companies in your house have been linked to somebody's death and misfortune? I want you to go to a law school and sit in a torts class for one semester. Almost every company is responsible for at least one death. I am not trying to minimize your pain, but to tell people that one company is evil and to avoid it is to close yourself off from the world around you.

[@cougher989]

RIP to those who lost their lives. Wasn't the one who filmed this video a bit close to it all though? If the crane had fallen towards him instead I don't think he could've gotten away.

[@Harpai]

It was three men that lost their lives.. just saw the documentary on the TV

[@ap70621]

You had one job...

[@mexamexo8]

@bigbluemik You don't have to worry about it i thing more than one object has been called big blue.

[@MforceArts]

holy shit o.O

[@ownSystem]

When you hear your kids word it should be oh sh"#! After seeing this. Parents be advised. Lol.

[@CURELOVER]

Watched the Reds beat the Brewers tonight and it reminded me of this sad day ... Always greed ... Just like the Space 🚀 Shuttle and most other major "accidents" still a beautiful park ... Too bad it had to happen this way ... But a huge lesson learned hopefully ...

[@schatzi321]

my dad helped build that stadium.

[@ImDanimal85]

What is all the noise the crane is making in the begining of the video is it some cable popping?

[@PencilDice]

if you watch closly at about 1:00 u will see the 3 men who were killed by the crane

[@tammieknuth6020]

Purple streetlight ..warren g regulators

[@lexmarks567]

the 3 men were on a scaffolding inside the stadium when the crane fell on top of them

[@Conradlovesjoy]

False

[@lawrencegenereux8567]

I ain't no engineer, but I gotta figure gravity had something to do with it.

[@seltzer5766]

imagine being that one guy that took a sick day "so, what did i miss?"

[@FMJayCS]

RIP Captain Falcon

[@crazyAlexander23]

holy shit

[@Tadesan]

But jet fuel can't melt steel!

[@mrtumytums]

ITS FAWKING FAWLING HOLY COW

[@alphadude500]

@jstemp12 dont hate, you can find me on FP studios

[@Meg-qy1ss]

Perfect stage hazard for the new f-zero

[@panks787]

I looked up f-Zero....

[@axessoul]

Andrew CVTV ikr...

[@DrUmiiSt]

woah, shit!

[@307OLDS]

It's a fuckin shame your a Pole, I'm %100 Polish. but really I think you are French but live in Poland.

[@Ostry018]

Jeszcze ty mnie nie dobijaj nie dość że na komisji dzisiaj D dostałem to jeszcze ty

[@SpyGuy36]

i knew the wife who lost her husband to that accident

[@mrarduino2977]

Go to 50 seconds

[@nocholas4sale]

oh gu god good god almighty