The process to remove the crane that collapsed into Dallas' Elan City Lights apartment building killing a woman and displacing 500 people is underway.
The crane collapsed in a severe thunderstorm June 9. After more than two months, crews began prepping the crane for removal about a week ago.
Three cranes have been brought in to remove the fallen crane.
A key piece of evidence was hoisted off of the apartment building on Monday. Texas SkyRanger was above the scene as the cab of the crane was lifted off of the Elan City Lights building. Once on the ground, crews inspected the cab and took pictures of the inside.[[558331352,C]]
It could hold key evidence as to what mode the crane was in at the time of the accident. The crane operator reportedly said when he completed his work the day before the collapse the crane was placed in the 'appropriate out-of-service-mode.'
Bigge Crane and Rigging owns the fallen crane. The company released a statement following the collapse saying it had leased the crane to Greystar Construction.
The company said extreme local winds caused the collapse. There were wind gusts of over 71 mph recorded at Dallas Love Field Airport at the time of the collapse.
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OSHA has been investigating the collapse for more than two months. A representative told NBC 5 the investigation is ongoing and that there is no timeline as to when it will be completed. OSHA investigations can take up to six months, by law, according to OSHA.
Dallas Fire-Rescue firefighters were on hand Monday as a precaution because crews are using a cutting torch to cut the crane into smaller pieces for its removal.
Former Elan residents who lived in areas not directly impacted by the falling crane are in the process of picking up their belongings that were professionally packed for them and placed in storage facilities.
However, some displaced residents have reported missing items and some are worried about mold impacting some of their belongings.
Residents of the 124 units directly impacted and those with vehicles in the damaged parking garage have not been able to get to any of their belongings. They'll have to wait for the crane to be removed and for engineers to give the all clear, before they'll find out if any of their vehicles and/or belongings will be salvageable.
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