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On April 27, 2019, tragedy struck when a tower crane crashed into busy South Lake Union traffic, killing our daughter, Sarah Pantip Wong, and three others. This devastating incident was entirely preventable. Authorities highlighted critical steps that should have been taken to avoid such a catastrophe.
Tower cranes operate at significant heights, often over bustling streets and dense urban residences and workplaces. A regulatory gap exists that exposes our communities to potential risks as tower cranes loom over busy thoroughfares, homes, recreational spaces, cultural centers, and office buildings.
To minimize these risks and enhance public and worker safety, state Sen. Noel Frame and state Rep. Julia Reed have introduced legislation to prevent future crane disasters and save lives. House Bill 2022 passed in the House of Representatives Feb. 9 and moved to the Senate for consideration.
The bill includes three critical components that aim to fill in the regulatory gaps:
1. Designating a work zone during crane assembly, disassembly, and reconfiguration that minimizes risks to the public and establishes a notification process for nearby businesses and residents.
2. Establishing a permitting process that ensures all safety protocols and appropriate personnel are in place for ongoing compliance with safety standards.
3. Adding criminal penalties to deter shortcuts at the expense of public safety.
If these commonsense measures were in place on that fateful day, Sarah would have graduated from Seattle Pacific University and been on her way to pursuing her dream career as a pediatric nurse.
We all have the right to work, shop, travel our streets, come home safely, and be secure in our homes. Without proper guidelines, the safety of our communities is at risk. This is what the tower crane safety bill is all about.
State lawmakers must act swiftly to safeguard motorists, pedestrians, residents, and workers. Seattle leads the nation in the number of construction cranes with a reported 45 cranes.
We thank Rep. Reed for championing HB 2022 and the overwhelming majority of House legislators who support practical and reasonable tower crane reforms. We urge the Senate to work with Sen. Frame to swiftly pass the bill for Gov. Jay Inslee to sign into law.
We also ask the public to get involved and insist from their leaders commonsense reforms to create a safer environment for everyone while allowing Washington’s cities to thrive and grow. Let’s apply the lessons learned from the 2019 tragedy, and create a safer Washington for everyone.
Let no family endure this kind of pain. Let no family worry about sending their child to college in a city with numerous tower cranes. Please join us in supporting comprehensive tower crane safety.
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