Crane Collapses On Fort Lauderdale Home; Fire Department Calls Residence 'Uninhabitable'
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – A home in Fort Lauderdale is severely damaged after a crane toppled over on top of it on Friday.
It happened in the 1900 block of NE 57th Street at around noon.
Video from Chopper 4 shows the crane toppled over the roof, with the cab turned over on its side.
Justin Riggs' mother and sister live there. They were on vacation in Tennessee.
The fire department says their next-door neighbor was having a shed lifted into place when something went horribly wrong.
A neighbor called Riggs at work. She said you need to get here as soon as possible.
"I asked her was the house on fire?"
Three dogs had to be rescued. Riggs retrieved two cats and a snake.
Damage could be seen inside the residence. There is debris everywhere.
Doug Jenkins was taking pictures of the shed being lifted into place when the unthinkable happened.
"All of sudden, it started shaking and it fell."
It's unclear what caused the crane to tip over. Stabilizers were in place.
The crane company released the following statement:
"Safety is our top priority here at On The Spot and we are very thankful nobody was injured. We have never had an accident prior to this one. The customer advised that there was NO septic tank, thus making it safe to park in the driveway but there was in fact a septic tank. The ground became unstable. The outrigger sank where the septic tank is and the crane could no longer sustain itself."
The fire department says the home is uninhabitable.
