A woman in Loma Linda narrowly escaped injury after a crane tipped over and fell onto her home, causing extensive damage Friday.
Debra Harper, who has lived in the home for 37 years, said she was home last week, talking on the phone to her brother when the incident occurred.
“We were talking and all of a sudden, I heard a noise that was just indescribable,” Harper told KTLA’s Shelby Nelson. “So, I screamed. When I went to my front door, opened the door, a truck was just lying across my driveway.”
The incident happened at around 10 a.m. when a company contracted by SoCal Edison was attempting to reach a transformer between her house and neighboring homes.
After the incident, Harper said she didn’t call 911 because crews were already there and she thought the situation was under control. Her neighbor did call 911 and told KTLA that he was told no one could come out unless there was a fire.
City officials, however, dispute that claim.
It’s unclear what led to the crane falling, but according to the city, the contractor did not call 911, but instead contacted the Loma Linda Department of Public Works about three hours after the crane toppled.
A spokesperson for SoCal Edison told KTLA:
“Southern California Edison is aware of the contractor incident that occurred in Loma Linda on December 1st. The safety of our customers and communities is our top priority, and we take action to ensure the work conducted by our contractors is done safely. We are thankful no one was injured and have been in contact with the customer while we look into what happened.”
Crews were eventually able to get the crane off of the home, but damage to the house is significant and city officials have since yellow-tagged the structure, meaning it is not currently safe for the homeowners to live in.
As for Harper, she and her husband are staying in a hotel at their own expense and at the moment have no idea when and if they will be able to get back to living in their house.