CLEARWATER — A crane tipped onto a Clearwater condo building during a major roofing project. It happened around 9:30 a.m. at the Crystal Bay Condominiums on Feather Sound Drive off Ulmerton Road.

“The driver of the crane got in, and all these people were testing the big ball and it looked like he was trying to balance it,” said Revonda Cornell, a resident. But then somehow the crane toppled onto the building causing its wheel to lift off the ground. “All these guys down here and all of a sudden they’re telling him to ‘Stop stop stop,’ and the crane started lifting, and the guy doing it all the way up and he was up in the air and it smashed and the whole place just shook,” said Kimberly Jenkins, resident. Jenkins said it felt like a bomb went off.

 

“The crane exceeded its ability to lift and tipped over,” said Adam Bild, attorney for the condo’s association.

Bild said crews were loading material onto the roof at the time. Beyel Bros. Crane and Rigging is the contractor working on the project.

“Crane operators are licensed. They have training. It’s pretty significant in nature,” Bild said. “This is a crane company that’s been around for significant amount of time.”

St. Pete Fire Rescue said the crane operator was able to get out safely. Engineers devised a plan to upright the crane safely and brought in two additional cranes.

“There is damage to the building,” he said. “We put all the residents in the building on notice.”

Bild said there are 170 units in this building with more than 300 impacted residents who were evacuated as a precaution.

“I think we’re all little shook up by this,” said Jenkins.

Bild said preliminary inspections show no signs of cracking, however a more thorough inspection will need to take place following the removal of the crane.