Fifty metres in the air above a construction site, a photographer and his son in the crane’s basket heard a desperate voice crackle through on the radio from the ground.
Fifty metres in the air above a Brisbane construction site, a photographer and his son in the crane basket heard a desperate voice crackle through on the radio from the crane operator on the ground: “I have to get you down. I have to get you down.”Seconds later the heavy machinery toppled and crashed to the street.The photographer, Christopher Powell, died after the fall in Newstead on December 14, 2015.
Coroner Donald MacKenzie released his findings into the fatal incident on Tuesday, suggesting improvements to the regulatory framework around elevated work platforms.Mr Powell had planned to take photos from three positions. A few minutes before the collapse, he had finished and was on his way down, when he radioed the crane operator saying he wanted to get a few final pictures from a lower height, seemingly a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Brendan was thrown metres away from the basket. He suffered crushing injuries to his feet and ankles, and fractures to his spine, femur, arms, ribs, jaw and nose. The coronial inquest described his survival as “incredible”, and he had years of rehabilitation.