Crane Crash Kills Two

A piece of a construction crane fell from the top of the 46-story Paramount Bay high-rise, plummeting through a nearby structure and killing two people this afternoon. The building, at 20th Street and Bayshore Drive, was ringed with Fire-Rescue vehicles, while three helicopters buzzed overhead. “They were loading a piece...

By Frank Houston

March 25, 2008

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A piece of a construction crane fell from the top of the 46-story Paramount Bay high-rise, plummeting through a nearby structure and killing two people this afternoon. The building, at 20th Street and Bayshore Drive, was ringed with Fire-Rescue vehicles, while three helicopters buzzed overhead.

“They were loading a piece of equipment onto that crane up there,” said a construction worker who was waiting on a bus on Biscayne Boulevard, gesturing to a yellow crane perched high atop the building. “And it gave way and just came flying all the way down onto that house behind it.” The house was unoccupied but contained a sales office.

Several people were injured in the accident, and rescuers continued to look for other victims as dusk approached. According to the Herald, a ''cadaver dog'' was brought to the scene to assist in the search. --Frank Houston

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