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Man falls 200ft after climbing tower crane in Plymouth builders yard

It has been reported by This is Plymouth that an unkown man, believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s, has fallen to his death after climbing a tower crane near Sutton Road, Coxside.

Police were alerted in the early evening by a member of the public who saw the man climbing the structure. Officers believe he climbed over a nine foot fence to gain access to the yard which is close to a public house.

Duty Inspector Mark Reed said officers were at the scene when the man “either fell or jumped”. He added:

“Officers had placed a cordon around the site and an ambulance crew were waiting by. The fire service had been called and were on their way. He had made his way to just under the cabin, which we estimate was around 200ft up. We were not able to talk to him due to the height he was at. 

We were hoping to get fire crews to go up by crane half way and then use a loud hailer but can’t say at this stage whether he lost his grip or jumped. It must have taken him some effort to climb 200ft up the inside of the structure and then onto the outside.”

Detectives are now carrying out an investigation into the man’s death and a file will be passed to the coroner. Police are trying to contact his family.

Comment

This incident does not appear to involve a person at work. However, it does highlight the importance of taking reasonable steps to prevent access to tower cranes. The CPA provide appropriate guidance.

This article was posted on 18th February 2011 in ALL LATEST NEWS, CRANES TOWER, INCIDENTS.
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