In April 2019, a 300-foot (91-meter) crane collapsed from the top of a then-future Google building in Seattle's South Lake Union area, killing four people, including Seattle Pacific University student Sarah Wong, and injuring others.
The crane was being dismantled when strong winds toppled it and collapsed, killing Wong after the crane crushed the car she was in.
In 2022, a King County jury found the operators, Omega Morgan Sarens and Northwest Tower Crane, responsible for the collapse and awarded over $150 million to the victims' families, KOMO News reported.
Legislators Propose Further Safety Measures
The 2019 Seattle crane incident prompted Washington State senators Noel Frame and Julia Reed - both of them Democrats - to propose two new bills they said would improve public safety near tower cranes with three key steps: Designating a safety zone when a crane is assembled and disassembled; permit process improvements; and misdemeanor charges for companies that violate these regulations.
"We think this creates a structure that is going to protect people," Reed said.
Two public hearings about the bills were scheduled for this week.
