Severe weather not to blame for crane tipping over onto Lake Mary building

Witnesses who saw a giant construction crane fall onto a historic building and a tree smash through a window Monday night said it was very windy at the time.

But investigators said the severe weather that was moving across Central Florida did not cause that damage.

Now, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been called in to investigate.

Crews said the crane, operated by the Sun State Tree Company, was removing a tree that may have been too heavy to handle, and the base of the truck somehow became unstable.

"From what I've been told, when it shifted, it caused the crane to shift on its platform and topple," said Toby Palmer, with the Lake Mary Fire Department.

Both the crane and the tree went through the building, which is used by several small businesses and a church congregation at Country Club Road and Crystal Lake Avenue.

Shops inside, including a florist, an antique shop and a flooring company, have been left shut down for the day as city inspectors size up a massive hole left in the side of the building.

"It almost caught fire as well," said Mark Jones, with the Courtesy Tow Company, which has been working to remove the crane. "When the crane fell on it, it ripped the electrical wires from the building. There were wires, sparks, you could see a lot of char on there. It's very fortunate that it didn't catch fire.

The tree went through the pastor's window. No one inside the building was hurt, but the crane operator was injured.

He drove himself to the hospital, but the extent of his injuries was not immediately known.

It took about 11 hours and four tow trucks to finally get the crane back upright.

Tow truck crews were still at the scene early Tuesday morning, because crews could not start the crane's engine.

The crane was last certified in 2005.

As for the building, it remains without power, though inspectors said they were not immediately sure how severely the electrical system was damaged.

Police say business owners would not be allowed back in for at least 24 hours.