A 34-year-old construction worker is dead after the crane he was operating tipped over at a Maplewood church Monday afternoon.
Cory Lewellin, of Ogilvie, Minn., was working at the St. Paul Hmong Alliance Church at 1770 McMenemy St. when the crane tipped on its side, said Maplewood Deputy Chief Dave Kvam.
Authorities responded to the accident about noon.
Lewellin appeared to be moving a large beam when the outriggers to the sides of the crane gave way in the soil, Kvam said. "The soil might not have been solid enough," Kvam said.
Before the police and fire crews arrived at the scene, other workers tried to dig Lewellin out of the cab, which had at least one broken window where dirt had been forced in as the crane struck the ground.
Emergency responders provided medical care to Lewellin as they worked to free him from the crane's cab using saws and other tools. After he was extricated, Lewellin was transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he died.
Nicole Norfleet
