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Rhys Barker, 18, David Newall, 36, and David Webb, 43, died after the incident at a building site in Crewe on 21 June 2017.<\/p>\n
The BBC<\/em> reported last week that a coroner concluded their deaths were an accident and the collapse was caused by a \u201cseries of errors\u201d made by employees at Falcon Tower Crane Services Ltd.<\/p>\n The firm, which was acquitted last year after being charged with health and safety breaches, said it had co-operated fully with all authorities and its thoughts remained with the families.<\/p>\n The three men were working as part of a team to erect the Potain MC85B tower crane at a building site on Dunwoody Way when it tilted and fell.<\/p>\n It collapsed onto two homes adjacent to the site but none of the occupants were injured.<\/p>\n In her conclusion at Cheshire Coroner\u2019s Court, senior coroner Jacqueline Devonish said there were mistakes made in preparing documents outlining how the crane should be set up.<\/p>\n She wrote in her record of inquest: \u201cThe cause of the crane collapse was due to a series of errors by Falcon Crane Services Ltd staff members with responsibilities for drafting the method statement and associated documents, which contained an incorrect sequence of works by omitting the crucial requirement for partial ballasts.\u201d<\/p>\n Devonish said the error was not identified and the supervisor \u201ccompounded this when he did not correctly follow the build plan and sequence for the work\u201d.<\/p>\n This culminated in the overbalancing of the crane, she said, without the \u201ccrucial partial ballasts\u201d.<\/p>\n Devonish added\u201d \u201cThe change in process caused the jib to slew in the opposite direction to that planned, therefore endangering the local community when the crane fell onto two residential homes outside the site.<\/p>\n She gave a conclusion of accidental death \u201ccontributed to by a chain of errors in producing the method statement and absence of partial ballast\u201d.<\/p>\n Following the inquest\u2019s conclusion, a spokesperson for Falcon Cranes told the BBC<\/em> it had been \u201cdeeply affected\u201d by the incident and had done all it can to provide support to the families.<\/p>\n They said the firm had co-operated fully with all authorities \u201cthroughout long and detailed investigations\u201d.<\/p>\n The spokesperson said: \u201cWe hope this process and the conclusion reached by the coroner following long and detailed investigations will assist the families and all others concerned to achieve a degree of closure in relation to the deaths.<\/p>\n \u201cOur thoughts remain with the families and all others who have suffered as a consequence of this tragic accident.\u201d<\/p>\n In November 2024, Falcon Tower Cranes Services was acquitted of two health and safety breaches after a judge directed the jury to return not guilty verdicts, due to insufficient evidence.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n