Crane falls over, narrowly missing Joburg petrol station

A crane toppled over in Westdene, Johannesburg, on Tuesday, narrowly missing a garage across the street and blocking the road. 

“At around 9pm the crane that was laying slabs at the construction [site] on the corner of Perth and Lewes [roads] toppled over,” the Westdene and Sophiatown residents’ group wrote on its Facebook page.

They said there was little damage and no injuries reported.

The crane was still on the road on Wednesday morning.

It is unclear what led to the crane toppling over.

Anton Mostert Lokanath von Reumont said it was not due to Tuesday’s hailstorm.

“This happened about two hours after the storm had passed. It might have been that the heavy rain compromised the out-trigger footing. Speculation though.”

Westdene and Sophiatown CROWS [Concerned Residents of Westdene) wrote: “The base [of the crane] is much too small for the weight of it.”