Surveillance video shows Harbor Bridge crane fire, falling debris
A person ran from under a falling bucket and debris last month when a tower crane associated with the new Harbor Bridge construction malfunctioned during a Corpus Christi Hooks game, according to Port of Corpus Christi surveillance footage reviewed by the Caller-Times.
The footage, first detailed by the newspaper, provides the clearest picture yet of the circumstances surrounding the April 22 incident, which reportedly hospitalized a Houston-area woman struck by flying debris from a construction site near Whataburger Field.
A spokesperson for the bridge developer, Flatiron/Dragados, did not answer questions about the incident Wednesday.
Footage from a port camera across the ship channel shows the bucket fell from nearly the full height of the 450-foot tower crane at 8:39 p.m. Shortly after it hits the ground, kicking up a plume of dust, a section of the tower crane seemingly erupts in flames, the footage shows.
Flatiron/Dragados has said two workers were on the crane at the time of the incident. Neither was injured, they said, but the footage shows someone on the ground level was possibly in harm's way.
Footage from a camera atop the port's Solomon P. Ortiz International Center shows one person, shortly before impact, running for cover. The same footage shows the bucket speeding into the ground, lodging itself in the dirt.
The cause of the incident, which shocked thousands of minor league baseball fans, has not been determined, officials have said. In addition to the woman's injuries, two parked vehicles were possibly damaged by flying debris, according to a police report obtained by the Caller-Times.
Briefing documents obtained by the Caller-Times last month indicated that the mishap was the subject of multiple investigations, including by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In the briefings, Flatiron/Dragados said it was committed to "addressing and resolving this isolated incident" and stated the area around the south pylon construction site was safe for motorists, pedestrians and ballpark spectators.
The new bridge, which officials have said will be the tallest structure in South Texas, aims to replace the 1950s-era Harbor Bridge. The nearly $1 billion project is more than five years behind its initial construction schedule as a result of design issues.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Surveillance video shows Harbor Bridge crane fire, falling debris
