Crane collapses at Merritt Island construction site, killing 2: What we know
A giant crane collapsed at the construction site of Health First's planned new Cape Canaveral Hospital on Merritt Island on June 4, killing two people, officials said.
The fallen crane crushed a work truck and there was visible damage to the site's roof.
Numerous emergency vehicles and Brevard County Sheriff's Office deputies converged on the scene. No other information was immediately available.
How did the crane collapse?
High winds and rain had passed over Merritt Island earlier Wednesday afternoon.
Will Ulrich, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said the collapse likely occurred when the leading edge of a storm moved offshore in the area, leading to peak wind gusts of 45-55 mph based on surround observations.
While much of the showers and storms in the area were associated with the disturbed weather just offshore that the National Hurricane Center is watching, the office couldn't say if the storms were the direct cause of the wind gusts, said meteorologist Timothy Sedlock.
Earlier in the day, a special weather statement from NWS Melbourne posted at 2:22 p.m. warned of 50 mph winds until 3 p.m. in the Merritt Island area.
What was the construction site that the crane was located at building? Where was it?
The crane collapsed at the construction site of Health First's planned new Cape Canaveral Hospital.
Construction began in March 2024 on the new $410 million Cape Canaveral Hospital and Medical Office Building on Merritt Island.
It is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, and open to the public in early 2027. The new 268,000-square-foot hospital will replace the existing Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach.
The new Cape Canaveral Hospital complex will include 120 private inpatient hospital beds; 25 emergency department treatment rooms; six operating rooms; and a three-story, 92,000-square-foot Medical Office Building.'
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the families, loved ones and all those affected," said Lance Skelly, Health First's system director for public and media relations, in a statement.
Gilbane Building, which is providing construction-management services on the Cape Canaveral Hospital project, said in a separate statement that "two trade contractor workers, one employed by Baker Construction and another subcontractor, were fatally injured as a result of an incident involving a crane. We share our deepest condolences with the families, loved ones and co-workers."
Gilbane said the construction site "is secure, and work is currently suspended."