A crane operator was killed Tuesday when the 35-ton machinery tipped onto its side in the Genesee River gorge.
He was initially conscious and talking with rescue crews after the incident occurred around 2:30 p.m., but died at 6:15 p.m. as rescuers began lifting the crane from him, Rochester Fire Chief John Caufield told The Democrat and Chronicle.
The man was working on a Rochester Gas & Electric Corp. project on the shore of the river and was in the process of moving the crane when it tipped on the sloped concrete spillway.
Crews reportedly spent hours stabilizing the crane and cribbing it until it was high enough to extricate the operator.
Medical crews, including the county's emergency medical director Dr. Jeremy Cushman, were also on scene during the attempted rescue.
