OXFORD, Miss. - No one was injured when a 35-foot
construction crane toppled over Monday at a construction
site behind the Thad Cochran Research Center at the
University of Mississippi.
The accident occurred about 12:30 p.m. as the 70-foot crane
was being used to lift plywood to the third floor of an
auditorium being built for the National Center for Natural
Products Research. Panola Construction Co. of Batesville,
general contractor for the project, operated the crane.
“We’re grateful that no one was injured,” said Cliff Olson,
safety director for Panola. “We’ll be back to work in the
morning.”
The crane hit the corner of the auditorium’s steel
structure, going up on the southwest corner of the research
center. The contractor is assessing the damage and plans to
begin repairs as soon as possible.