Investigators look at whether the crane had been set to weathervane during high winds; Texas’ safety record is questioned

A stormy Sunday afternoon in Dallas with gusts of 70 mph or higher. A tower crane tied to a new apartment building frame tumbles, smashing a completed parking structure behind it.

Seeing parallels to a fatal crane accident in Texas in 2012, crane specialist Terry McGettigan believes the Seattle crane collapse will be shown to have similar causes.

A tower crane being dismantled collapsed Saturday, April 27 in Seattle, killing two ironworkers on the crane and two bystanders on the street below. 

With crews at work dismantling two Hurricane Irma-damaged cranes in the city of Miami and a third in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., local leaders are wondering whether Florida’s crane regulations are adequate for the highly vulnerable region.