On January 30, a construction crane crashed to the ground, causing thousands of dollars in property damage in Mentor, Ohio. Luckily, no one was hurt, but several cars were totaled when the crane toppled over in the Points East Plaza parking lot. In total, nine vehicles were smashed, but not one of them were occupied when the accident occurred.

The crane was used to replace the air conditioning unit at Marc's Discount Store, but instead toppled over before the job was due to what police told reporters was poor rigging. Reports have come through that it's most likely the failure of the construction crew to properly engage the support, or out-rigging, arms on the crane while replacing the air conditioner, which was located on top of Marc's.

OSHA was called to the scene shortly after police and firefighters ensured the safety of wayfarers, especially those whose vehicles were damaged. OSHA has not yet released an official report, but heavy fining is expected. Witnesses say that there were dozens of people inside the discount store when the accident happened and that it would have been far worse if the crane had toppled the other way, crashing through the roof of the supermarket.

One witness told reporters that he and his wife were actually walking toward their car with the groceries they had just bought when they heard a screeching noise and then watched the back end of their vehicle get crushed, the crane's arm landing just feet away from the couple. The man was shaken, but was just thankful his wife was alright and didn't show much regard for his car.

Another person was extremely upset. The 67-year-old man told reporters that his car was the last vehicle he had ever planned on buying and is especially irritated because he doesn't expect the insurance money to cover the cost of its real worth.  

Apparently, the air conditioning unit had already been removed and was suspended in mid-air when the crane began to give way, bringing the AC unit down with the crane's arm. The crane operator sensed something was going terribly wrong and escaped the driver's booth unharmed. 

Source: The Plain Dealer, "Crane tips over on cars at Mentor plaza, investigators say support arms were not properly in place" 30 January 2014