Crane operator killed by falling steel beam in Oregon

steel beamA crane operator in Portland, Oregon, was killed earlier this week when a steel beam fell on top of his machine’s cab.

According to a report from The Oregonian, Christopher Pierson, 40, was aiding the construction of a retaining wall. Pierson was lifting a steel beam by its end when the beam “detached and sliced into the cab,” the paper reports.

Pierson died from blunt force head trauma. He had worked for Portland contractor Axis Crane for three years.

It’s unknown what caused the beam to detach. The incident is under investigation by the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division.