A man was crushed to death and another injured after a crane toppled over at Old Damu Nagar in Coimbatore on Friday.

 

The crane had been deployed to remove a sand lorry which had crashed into the pavement in Puliyakulam.

 

The lorry was carrying sand from Peelamedu to Chettipalayam, which is a 40-minute drive. During the journey, the vehicle's front wheel got punctured. Following this, the driver lost control and drove the truck on to the pavement before it stopped. The crane then arrived to dislodge the lorry from the site of the accident. 

 

However, the load was too heavy for the machine, causing it to topple over on to a painter named Sivakumar who was watching the process. The bystander was crushed by the vehicle and died on the spot. An elderly man who was severely injured in the incident has been rushed to a Government hospital.

 

The operator of the crane, absconded shortly after the incident.

 

Traffic on the road came to grinding halt as efforts were made to remove the victims and the machines from the spot. Police from the Ramanathapuram station are currently investigating the case and are on the lookout for the crane driver.