Port crane picks up truck as well as container
Port Authority HQ
(CNS): Officials from the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands have confirmed that they are looking into the cause of an unusual incident at PACI’s container yard in North Sound Road, George Town, earlier this week. A truck operator escaped with just minor injuries after a crane picked up his truck as well as the container. Pins that secure the container to the chassis of the trucks became semi-locked after being opened, and when the RTG (Rubber Tyre Gantry) crane started lifting the container, the chassis and truck came with it. Officials said the truck was lifted “a very short way off of the ground before the pins released”.
Having received scrapes to his arm and experienced some pain, the driver was taken to the hospital, where he was treated and released.
PACI said there was no damage to any of the equipment and it was “evaluating the cause with a view to preventing a recurrence”.
Category: Local News
Many of the commercial trucks being operated on Cayman roads would never be allowed on the highways in the states. As a former rail yard driver in Chicago, it always fascinates me when I see the types of container chassis in the islands. On my last visit, I recall seeing a shipping container parked at the loading dock of Cost U Less. The chassis did not have any marker lights, and although the front safety pins were in place, there wasn’t anything holding them in that position to keep them from coming loose.
As far as who was at fault with the crane incident, I can only say how it works in Chicago. The crane operator does not get out of his seat. It is the driver’s responsibility to twist the two rear pins and pull the front two. If the truck is running, there is always a chance that the vibration could cause a pin to wobble back in place. According to the article, it doesn’t sound like the truck was lifted too far. It actually surprises me that the crane operator didn’t catch the mistake before lifting the tires off the ground. I’m happy to hear there were no serious injurys.
Grand Cayman is a beautiful island and I visit regularly. It would be nice if the traffic laws were better enforced, especially when you have an 80,000lb truck sharing the roads with small automobiles.
time for more pay rises!
Sounds like some serious safety protocols need to be addressed. That shiznit could have been so much worse.
Helpful.
I hope the gentleman involved will sue the authorities for pain and suffering!
I wonder what it feels like to wake up each day knowing that you will again spend a whole 24 hours being such a negative person.
Depends if it was his responsibility to remove the pins.
Thankfully this isn’t the US where people sue others for anything and everything.
If you were in that truck, would you not factor suing? The truck driver is not responsible to remove the pins, that I know.
Doesn’t sound like it was the crane or its operator fault, and also what is the policy of drives been in the trucks while the crane is in the operation of offloading and loading, this sounds more like it is the driver and operations team that is involved in equipment maintenance that should all be disciplined, fault.
And this is news?
Why not?