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One killed in Bastrop Co. crane accident 
The industrial accident happened on a high bridge over the Colorado River
09:21 PM CDT on Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Photos: Crane accident
SMITHVILLE, TX -- A crane collapsed in the Colorado River at a bridge on Highway 95 in Smithville Wednesday, killing one person and injuring at least one other.
The industrial accident happened before 11 a.m. on a high bridge over the Colorado River. The crane was working at the bridge when an accident knocked it over.
Witnesses say they felt the ground rumble when the accident happened.
Officials tell KVUE News that workers were removing a large, older beam from the bridge and were cutting the beam in two when the beam collapsed, crushed a lift and caused the crane to collapse.
Two men were on the lift. One was killed after he was knocked into the ravine, and another was seriously injured. Smithville police Lieutenant Lonny Richardson said both men were in their 40s and were from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Their identities were not released.
OSHA had so far not arrived on the scene. There were crews in the river trying to contain oil and fuel that spilled into the river as a result of the accident. Lower Colorado River Authority officials said the spill was not large.
The crane was part of routine work to replace the Loop 230 bridge in Bastrop County when it became overloaded, according to Department of Transportation spokesman Marcus Cooper.
“The momentum of the girder overloaded the crane and the crane fell over,” said Cooper.
Police on Wednesday night identified the worker killed as 47-year-old James Michael Miles of North Richland Hills. They could not confirm the name of the person injured.
The condition of the worker at University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin wasn’t immediately available. The crane operator was not hurt.
The bridge in Smithville, about 45 miles southeast of Austin, remained open because the accident happened off the side of the road.
The bridge project had been going on for several weeks, Cooper said.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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