06/16/07 - Crane Wreck with Entrapment

At approximately 16:30 on June 16th, 2007, volunteers were dispatched to an motor vehicle accident with possible entrapment at the foot of Brindlee Mountain on Highway 231. Upon arriving, members found that a truck crane had lost control and flipped over a guardrail, landing upside down and trapping the driver in the cab. BMVFD worked to stabilize the cab and extricate the driver, who sadly later succumbed to his injuries. Also operating on the scene were volunteers from Lacey's Spring Fire, Somerville Fire, Huntsville-Madison County Rescue, and a host of other agencies and heavy equipment operators.

Workers from Solley Crane Service man the two cranes needed to pull the wrecked vehicle from the cliff.

The second impact point caused damage to the left-hand guardrail and road.

Two larger cranes and a tow truck worked together to upright the 50-ton vehicle.

With the crane back on its wheels again, extensive damage to the cab area can be seen.

After six hours, the crane is finally loaded onto a lowboy trailer for transportation.