MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — Dozens of residents in a Merritt Island neighborhood are without power and water after a massive crane collapsed Wednesday afternoon, crashing through a home on Mackerel Avenue.
The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. when the crane, operated by Big Iron Crane, tipped over while performing work for Blue Streak Communications.
“I was sitting on my driveway in my golf cart watching the whole operation,” said homeowner Jim Crane, who was sitting in his driveway when he saw it happen. “They had the pole almost all the way over to that hole, and then it just came down.”
The company said the crane had been placed on top of an undisclosed water main.
At some point, the water main broke under the pressure, destabilizing the ground and causing the equipment to tip over. “It washed the leg out from under the crane, and over it went — right through my house,” Crane said. “My dogs were in there. I went in and got them out.”
Crane, who has lived in the home for more than 40 years, says he’s grateful no one was injured.
He’s especially thankful his wife wasn’t home at the time. “She would’ve been in the kitchen, and that’s in my kitchen now,” he said.
As of Wednesday night, most of the crane was still resting on top of the house.
Florida Power & Light and the City of Cocoa Utilities say they will have to wait until the crane is removed before they can assess the damage and begin restoring service.
Channel 9 has reached out to Blue Streak Communications for comment and is waiting to hear back.
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