A construction crane toppled in Cotuit on Thursday morning, threading the needle between two houses as it came down and landing on the deck of one of them. Aerial and ground photos from the scene show the boom stretched across Main Street between the two homes. No injuries were reported, but the crash chewed up a deck and caused minor exterior damage to the neighboring house.
Barnstable police said in a social media post around 11:30 a.m. that Main Street in the village of Cotuit was closed between Coolidge Street and Old Shore Road while crews worked to remove the crane. The shutdown was expected to last 8–12 hours, according to NBC Boston. The outlet also reported that the crane operator had not yet been identified and no cause had been released.
What the photos show
Aerial and ground images from the scene show the crane tipped onto the deck of one home, with the boom appearing to have just missed that house and another nearby. The top of the boom landed across the road on Main Street, as reported by the Cape Cod Times. The paper said the crane went over around 8:30 a.m., and that although no one was hurt, the deck and the exterior of the neighboring house were left with visible damage.
Investigation and context
By midafternoon, officials had not released a cause for the collapse, and recovery crews were still on scene working to secure and remove the heavy equipment. A similar crane accident in Orleans last November damaged a Rock Harbor building and triggered a local investigation, a reminder that after incidents like this, authorities typically look at operator training, equipment condition and overall jobsite safety, according to reporting by Yahoo.
What residents should expect
Police asked drivers to steer clear of the area while the crane is removed and to follow posted detours. NBC Boston reported that the closure could stretch through much of the day. We will update this story as officials release additional information.
