No one was injured after a crane installing a new air management unit at Western Plains Medical Complex tipped over Thursday afternoon, damaging the newly-installed unit.
Mike Lisenby, house and nursing supervisor at the hospital, said he was outside when he saw the crane "just start tipping."
"After it tipped over it just sank down through the asphalt," he said, gesturing to the heavily-tipped crane.
Then there was a crunch.
Hospital CEO John Walker said non-hospital employees were installing a new air handler system which had been purchased for the hospital by its parent company. The unit had just been installed and the roof cleared when the crane began to tip.
At some point, the asphalt and concrete beneath one of the crane's anchors gave way, tipping the crane into the building's roof.
Walker said the part of the hospital damaged contained the cafeteria and a storage area, so no patients would have been directly disturbed by the accident. He said it was unclear — monetary wise — how much damage was done.
"Thankfully, no one was hurt," he said.
Hospital spokeswoman Emily Shultz said structural engineers would determine the stability of the building before allowing anyone to return.
Two larger cranes were brought in to remove the first crane from the building. It was clear around 4:30 p.m.
Employees of the company installing the unit declined comment.
