Crane collapse amid high winds claims lives in Seattle

Caroline FloydMeteorologist

Onlookers said the crane was swaying in the wind before the collapse.

A spring Saturday afternoon turned deadly in Seattle after a construction crane collapsed, killing four people.

The crane, which was part of construction efforts on a new campus for Google, fell several stories onto the street below, smashing down onto six cars. Two people in separate cars and two workers who were in the crane at the time of the collapse were killed, according to local media. Four others were injured.

While the cause of the collapse may take months to confirm, both onlookers and The National Weather Service reported strong wind gusts in the area at the time of the accident, around 3:30 pm local time Saturday afternoon.

"I looked up. The wind was blowing really strong," Esther Nelson, a worker from a nearby building, told the Seattle Times. "Half of it was flying down sideways on the building," Nelson said. "The other half fell down on the street, crossing both lanes of traffic."

Source: Seattle Times |

WATCH BELOW: TROOPER NO MATCH FOR THIS STRONG WIND