Fatal bridge lift

Two men died and two were injured on Wednesday when a large bridge beam was dropped during a tandem lift in Lochem, due east of Apeldoorn in the Netherlands.

Two large All Terrain cranes were lifting one of three arch elements of the new Nettelhorst road bridge, that will cross the Twente Canal as part of a new ring road. The bridge will have a span of around 140 metres long, with a 25 metre overall width.
The contractor BAM Infra had employed Belgium’s Aertssen group to install the bridge, which is supported by three large arches, the first of which was being lifted into place at the time, in front of a large local audience.

According to a local reader the two cranes, one from the Aertssen fleet and one from its subsidiary Michielsens, were slewing the arch into position, when it seemed to twist or shift causing slings to give way, and then the drop. Sadly, it struck one of the crane company’s employees and another man, killing them both. A third man is said to have been caught but not too seriously injured, while a fourth was involved in a fall from one of the piers and remains in a serious but stable condition.

Koen Vroman of Aertssens said: We are deeply shocked by the tragic accident in Lochem in which one of the regretted fatalities is an employee of our company. Our condolences go out to the family and friends of the victims. We are fully cooperating with the investigation. We do not think that it is appropriate to make any further statements about the incident so as not to influence or undermine the ongoing investigation.”

The Dutch labour inspectorate has now opened a judicial investigation into the cause of the incident.

The video below shows more, you will get more from it if you speak Dutch.