Crane topples at JaxPort, killing worker

By Jeff Brumley

A portable industrial crane brought in to dismantle a shipping crane at Talleyrand Marine Terminal collapsed around noon Saturday, killing one worker, police said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office identified the man killed as crane operator Anthony F. Roberts.

Police said pieces of the retired crane Roberts was removing for scrap toppled and crashed onto the cab of the crane he was operating.

Police released no further information about Roberts.

Jaxport spokeswoman Nancy Rubin said she didn't know any information about the victim, except that he was not an employee of the port. Police say Roberts died at the scene.

The port had sold an old container crane to another company, which in turn hired a contractor to use a mobile crane to dismantle the aging piece of equipment located on the docks near the port's main entrance on Talleyrand Avenue, Rubin said.

Rubin didn't know the name of the company that purchased the crane or that of the contractor. She also didn't know any of the dimensions of either crane. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident.