It was a close call for construction workers in Thornhill after a crane collapsed at a condominium site.
Emergency crews rushed to the north east corner of Dufferin Street and Steeles Avenue at about 8:30 a.m. after a passerby witnessed the crane crash and called police. The operator of the crane was slightly injured and was treated at the scene by paramedics.
He was still inside the operator's cab, which was leaning against the side of the six-storey building. Paramedics used a crane to to extract him using a basket.
"The operator was swinging around to the west, at which point, our report is he heard a series of large snaps," said Sgt. Patrick Anderson of the York Regional Police. "The back part of the crane let go, and fell into the inside horseshoe portion of the building. The large extension of the crane fell on the opposite building, came over top and landed near the sidewalk area of Dufferin Street."
One worker on the site said saw the crane waving in the air, so he ran beside a forklift for protection. Another said the ending to the accident could have been a lot worse.
The crane toppled onto a building that was under construction, said said York Regional Police Const. Gary Phillips. However, all workers were accounted for and no one suffered serious injuries.
Workers are building a new retirement home. The site already has two finished condominiums.
Phillips said he's not sure what caused the crane to collapse.
The Ministry of Labour will be investigating the incident.
CTV Toronto's John Musselman said the operator told investigators it felt like the whole accident happened in slow motion. He became injured when debris scraped off the building broke through the cab's windshield and hit him in the head.
A second crane was to be brought in to help clean up the scene, Musselman said.
With a report from CTV Toronto's John Musselman
