Safety & Health
Possible Causes Eyed in Crane Collapse That Killed Two on Florida Jobsite
A crane collapsed Wednesday, June 4 at the construction site of the new Cape Canaveral Hospital on Merritt Island, Fla. Two workers were killed in the accident.
Photo by Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today/USA Today Network via Imagn Images
Two construction workers died Wednesday when a crawler crane boom collapsed at a jobsite in Merritt Island, Fla.
OSHA investigators were on the scene following the incident, but the cause of the collapse has not yet been determined. The crane boom came down during a reported period of high winds in the area.
The collapse was at the site of the new 460,000-sq-ft Cape Canaveral Hospital now under construction by not-for-profit owner Health First.
Gilbane Building Co., which is serving as construction manager for the project, released a statement June 5 about the incident. “Yesterday afternoon, two trade contract workers, one employed by Baker Concrete and the other by another trade contractor, were fatally injured as a result of an incident involving a crane. We share our deepest condolences with the families, loved ones, and co-workers.”
The firm adds that work on the site has been suspended. Baker Concrete Constructors, a subsidiary of Baker Construction Enterprises, did not respond to a request for comment by ENR press time.
Gilbane said in its statement that it is “supporting our trade contractors and working with them and the authorities on an active investigation to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The crawler crane involved in the collapse belongs to Maxim Crane Works, the national equipment supplier based in Wilder, Ky.
Deceased Workers Identified
The two workers were identified June 6 as Isael Martinez, 34, of Haines City, Fla., and Hector Pozos, 57, of Kissimmee, Fla. According to the Brevard County Sheriff's office, the two were pouring a concrete column when the crane collapsed on top of them. Martinez was an employee of Baker Concrete, and Pozos was a day laborer also working for Baker Concrete.
While a cause of the collapse has not yet been named, the National Weather Service did report wind gusts of up to 50 mph in the area as a storm moved through the region June 4.
The text of this article was update 6/6/25 to reflect new information.
