Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Stadium Crane Accident Injures 3

ARLINGTON (CBS 11 News) ― Three workers are still in the hospital following a crane accident at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington. It happened just outside the northeast end zone.

Cowboys spokesman Brett Daniels tells CBS 11 News the accident happened while workers were in the process of assembling the crane on the ground. They were using another crane in the air to help lift the heavy loads.

One of the cables being used to assemble the crane either broke or became disconnected. At one point, a cable connector failed on the erecting crane sending cables flying through the air.

Arlington Fire Department Battalion Chief Bill McQuatters said it's possible that a back support structure on the crane failed, but it's too early to know for sure.

"When we got here, it was laid out on the ground. They just said it failed," said McQuatters.

In a press release sent out Thursday afternoon Manhattan Construction, the company responsible for building the new Cowboys stadium, said, "While assembling a crawler crane on site, a cable connector on the erecting crane failed, allowing the crane's cables to fall. The boom being assembled was on the ground and had not yet been attached to the crane."

A witness to the accident told CBS 11's Katherine Blake that she heard a "loud noise." She said she then saw part of the crane on the ground.

Construction will continue at the stadium Friday morning. But three crew members won't be on the job. All three victims work for a subcontractor called Derr Steel Erection out of Euless.

According to the company, three employees on the top of the crane's cab were injured when they jumped to avoid the falling parts.

"One of the ones that more seriously hurt on the ground when the crane came down," said McQuatters. "We don't know what hit him."

Arlington firefighters on the scene say one man was critically hurt and was taken to Baylor Hospital in Dallas by air ambulance. Chopper 11 showed emergency technicians working on the man as they loaded him into the helicopter.

The two other workers were taken to hospitals in ground ambulances with unknown injuries. Thursday evening, one of the victims remained in critical condition and the two others were in fair condition. None of the workers are thought to have life-threatening injuries.

Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said the city does not regulate cranes.

"Well, we don't. We have inspectors. I don't know if they inspect the cranes," he said.

He also said the city will investigate this accident, which he says could have been much worse.

"You see some cranes are taller than the stadium. If one of those things fall, we're in serious trouble," he said. "Luckily, this wasn't one of the big ones. But we'll get to the bottom of it. See if there's something we should have done or can do to prevent it."

The $1 billion Cowboys stadium is scheduled to open for the 2009 football season. The new stadium will have a retractable roof and seat some 80,000 fans. 

This is the second crane accident in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in as many days.  Click here for the story of Wednesday's accident.

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