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WorkSafeBC investigation into Kelowna crane collapse continues 1 year later

The full investigation report is yet to be released
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A memorial for the five victims of last July’s fatal crane collapse stands in front of the Bernard Block construction site in downtown Kelowna in October of 2021. (Aaron Hemens/Capital News)

Questions are still being asked and answers are being sought one year after a tower crane collapse in downtown Kelowna that claimed the lives of five men.

Such a catastrophic failure immediately opened up an extensive collaboration between WorkSafeBC, RCMP and the B.C Coroners Service to determine why it happened, though the report is still incomplete and unavailable.

“The amount of time an investigation takes is directly related to its complexity,” reads a backgrounder on what a WorkSafeBC investigation involves on their website.

The July 12, 2021 incident fits the bill - four of the dead were working on disassembling the crane when it collapsed, while the fifth was working in an adjacent building unrelated to the construction project.

Working with experts and engineers to determine the sequence of events, the structural integrity of the crane parts, the dismantling process itself, and many more factors, WorkSafeBC said in a release on the day before the one-year anniversary that the incident investigation report is “well advanced” - however, there is still no specific date or time as to when the report will be completed and publicly available.

The public is invited to a memorial for the deceased on July 12 at the site at Bernard Ave. and Ellis St.

READ MORE: Public memorial for 1 year anniversary of fatal Kelowna crane collapse

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@JakeC_16
Jake.courtepatte@kelownacapnews.com

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Jake Courtepatte

About the Author: Jake Courtepatte

Editor of Kelowna Capital News & West K News since February 2022. I have spent the majority of my career working in the Toronto area as both a sports reporter and a general reporter.
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