Article

2005-12-08 -Short Attention Span Theater-

BOULDER, Colo. -- A 22-year-old man was killed early Tuesday morning when he swung from a large crane and hit a building. According to University of Colorado police, the accident happened about 3:13 a.m. in the area of 18th Street and Colorado Avenue. Police said the victim, Ryan Young, and another man climbed a construction crane at the CU-Boulder ATLAS Building site and attached climbing ropes to it, then swung from the giant machine.

"Weeeee! Watch me do this!"

Young was killed when he hit the side of the CU power plant building on 18th Street.

"Weeeee...SPLAT!"

Police said a wind gust might have contributed to the accident. The second man climbed down from the crane and cut his friend loose.

Two people who happened to be in the area saw the accident and called police. They say that Young and his friend appeared to be technical climbers who knew what they were doing.

I think the evidence refutes that

"They had all the gear," said witness Logan Nahmias.

Just not the brains

He was taking a late study break with a friend when they saw that two men had climbed more than 10 stories on the crane. "So we heard this loud noise like something bouncing off metal," said Nahmias. "Our first instinct was just to look over there, so we did and there was this black silhouette," he said. "It was a silhouette of this guy hanging by a climbing harness. Our first instinct was to get him down, and my buddy was already on the phone to 911."

Nahmias performed CPR but it was too late. Young was taken to Boulder Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

"He's dead, Jim"

"His friend was in a complete state of shock. You can tell this guy was not happy about what was going on," Nahmias said. "It was supposed to be just an innocent, you know, thrill-seeking thing ... it's nuts but if you know what you're doing, it's a pretty simple process. They just lower straight down. So I guess the guy, he just probably rigged his gear wrong. "

Another Darwin nomineee

Posted by Steve 2005-12-08 10:59|| || Front Page|| [34 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 FWIW, it was also about 5 below zero at the time.

Posted by Elmolutch Hupoluque9855 2005-12-08 11:22|| 2005-12-08 11:22|| Front Page Top

#2 College students? 3 in the morning? 5 below? 10 stories up on a crane?
Alcohol possibly a factor here, Muldoon?

Posted by tu3031 2005-12-08 11:38|| 2005-12-08 11:38|| Front Page Top

#3 Wouldn't by any chance happen to have once been a student of asshat professor Ward Leory Churchill?

Posted by The Happy Fliegerabwehrkanonen 2005-12-08 11:48|| http://www.calderonswirbelwind.blogspot.com]">[http://www.calderonswirbelwind.blogspot.com] 2005-12-08 11:48|| Front Page Top

#4 "So we heard this loud noise like something bouncing off metal," said Nahmias. "Our first instinct was just to look over there, so we did and there was this black silhouette,"

I've seen this in cartoons.

From now on, it's gonna make me laugh even harder.

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford 2005-12-08 12:29|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2005-12-08 12:29|| Front Page Top

#5 Got the Warner Bros. frying pan *bonk* sound in my head now.

Posted by Seafarious">Seafarious 2005-12-08 12:35|| 2005-12-08 12:35|| Front Page Top

#6 Spiderman he ain't (err, wasn't).

Posted by Xbalanke 2005-12-08 12:48|| 2005-12-08 12:48|| Front Page Top

#7 Police said a wind gust might have contributed to the accident.

Other contributing factors:
Alcohol or drugs: TBD
Gravity: 2%
Incorrect rigging: 1%
Advance case of the dumb ass: 97%

Posted by Besoeker 2005-12-08 13:40|| 2005-12-08 13:40|| Front Page Top

#8 Another story said that cranes like this aren't locked into position, and they swing like a weathervane. Dumbass gets on the side, starts swinging, the crane moves and splats him against the building.

Joke's on the construction company, though - they'll get sued by his relatives for negligence because they didn't put electric fences and razor wire around the crane.

Posted by gromky">gromky 2005-12-08 15:11|| http://communistposters.com/]">[http://communistposters.com/] 2005-12-08 15:11|| Front Page Top

#9 I hate when I read stories like this. They don't even tell you if the building was hurt.

Posted by Dar">Dar 2005-12-08 17:11|| 2005-12-08 17:11|| Front Page Top

#10 George, George, George of the Jungle,
Strong as he can be,
AHHHAHHHAHHHHAHHHHH
Look out for that tree, (Thump)

Posted by Redneck Jim 2005-12-08 20:42|| 2005-12-08 20:42|| Front Page Top

#11 Did anyone hear him say the obligatory "Hey, guy! Hold my beer and watch this!"?

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2005-12-08 23:50|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/page/15bk1/Home_Page.html]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/page/15bk1/Home_Page.html] 2005-12-08 23:50|| Front Page Top

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