Construction worker hurt after materials fall from crane in Madison

Broken lumber sits on the roof of Lucky’s 1313 Brew Pub after a crane strap snapped and dropped lumber, causing one worker to be injured. (Photo courtesy of the Madison Fire Department)

A construction worker was injured Friday after lumber material fell from a crane on Madison’s near west side.

Materials fell 40 feet from a crane working on the Lucky’s 1313 Brew Pub apartment expansion project at around 11:20 a.m. Friday, the Madison Fire Department reported.

The crane’s operator was lifting roofing trusses when one of the straps broke and caused the trusses to fall and damage the roof of the bar, the building’s owner said. The operator was standing on a truck when the material fell and had to jump to avoid falling debris.

Emergency responders saw lumber materials hanging off the pub’s roof and laying on the road when they cared for the worker, a fire department spokesperson said. Emergency medical services then took the worker to the hospital with “serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” before the scene was given to the Madison Police Department.

The crane was operating over the brewpub for an expansion project that included 63 apartment units and two stories added to the existing building, the fire department report showed. Waunakee-based Precision Carpentry was subcontracted to perform rough carpentry work for Lucky’s project, a general contractor said.

Falling material struck a nearby car but the driver wasn’t injured, fire officials said. No one else was hurt when the items fell.

The fire department shut down Regent Street between Orchard Street and Randall Avenue for about 10 minutes while they cleared construction materials from the roadway, sidewalk and from the rooftop above, fire officials said.