2 men injured in crane-silo accident

LAKE ODESSA, Mich. (WOOD) - Two men were injured Thursday morning while tearing down and replacing some old silos/grain elevators in Lake Odessa.

Three companies, including a demolition crew and a reconstruction crew, were on the property in the 1000 block of 3rd Avenue when the incident occurred at around 9:30 a.m.

Odessa Township fire chief Jeff Sanderson told 24 Hour News 8 a crane was raising a new leg for an elevator into place. The leg seemed to break loose and took the existing structure down with it.

One of the contractors, 37-year-old Jason Radke of Plainwell, was in a crane basket 120 feet in the air when the crane collapsed. He landed in a pile of rubble, then was trapped and had to be rescued by emergency personnel, who extricated him. He was airlifted to a hospital where he is in critical condition.

An apparent chain reaction caused another worker nearby, 25-year-old Shawn Babbitt of Allegan, to fall 30 feet to the ground. An ambulance transported him to a hospital for treatment to his injuries that are not life-threatening. He is in fair condition.

Pitsch Companies was at the scene helping with the project. A spokesperson told 24 Hour News 8 the crane involved in the accident was not one of theirs. He said his crane helped in the rescue effort of the injured contractor.

Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) officials will investigate exactly what happened.