A Crane Collapse in Indiana Killed a Worker. Here's What Every Crew Needs to Know

Chris Fredette
1 day ago
3 min read

A 22-year-old worker died instantly on July 10 when a crane jib weighing roughly 3,000 pounds came down on top of him at a wind turbine construction site in Blackford County, Indiana. OSHA is investigating. In a week, the story will be gone from local news. The lesson shouldn't be.

By the Numbers

An average of 42 to 44 workers die in crane-related incidents in the U.S. every year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data
Construction and extraction workers logged 1,032 fatalities in 2024, more than any other major occupation group
Human error factors into more than 90% of crane accidents, and roughly 80% involve loads that exceeded the crane's rated capacity
Crane operators carry the second-highest fatality risk of any role in wind turbine construction, behind only fitters

What Happened in Blackford County

Crews with White Construction were extending the crane's jib arm around 11 a.m. on a Friday when the arm came down on top of Hunter Torpey, a 22-year-old worker from Michigan. He suffered fatal blunt force trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene. OSHA has opened an investigation. No citations have been issued yet.

The site was building a wind turbine, work that has become a bigger share of the construction market as utility-scale wind and solar projects move forward across the Midwest. That growth means more crews are running crane operations they may not have standardized procedures for yet.

Why Assembly and Extension Are the Riskiest Moments

Most fatal crane incidents don't happen during the lift. They happen during erection, extension, or disassembly, the phases OSHA groups together under Subpart CC as A/D work. That's when riggers are closest to the equipment, ground conditions are being tested in real time, and the crane itself is not yet in its stable, rated configuration.

OSHA's crane standard, 1926.1400, requires a certified operator, a qualified rigger, and a qualified signal person on every job. For assembly and disassembly work specifically, it requires a designated A/D director who has the authority to stop work if something looks wrong. On a lot of sites, that role gets treated as a name on a form instead of someone actively watching the operation.

What This Means for Your Site

If your crew is on a wind, solar, or utility-scale site where cranes get extended repeatedly as structures get taller, don't let extension day become routine. Every time the boom or jib is reconfigured, that's a new A/D event, and it deserves the same planning as the first erection.

Enforce exclusion zones with physical barricades during any boom or jib movement, not cones that get ignored by end of week one. Recheck ground conditions and outrigger setup every time the crane is reconfigured, not just at initial mobilization. And make sure whoever is designated as A/D director is actually on comms and empowered to call a stop, not just listed in the site safety plan.

Key Takeaways

Crane assembly, extension, and disassembly are higher-risk than the lift itself and deserve the same planning rigor as the main pick
OSHA 1926.1400 requires a certified operator, qualified rigger, and a designated A/D director for assembly and disassembly work, not just paperwork on file
Exclusion zones need physical enforcement, not assumption, any time a boom or jib is in motion
Wind and utility-scale sites carry a crane risk profile that general contractors moving into that market need to plan for specifically

If your crew is mobilizing onto a wind or renewable energy site for the first time, get a second set of eyes on your crane operations plan before extension day. It's a lot cheaper than an OSHA investigation.