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Traumatized, men sue operator following crane collapse

Two men are suing a crane operator who crushed their family home and almost killed them.

Anna Pace, her son Fred Pace, 20, and nephew Daniel Pantalleresco, 22, were inside their Yarraville, Australia home in Melbourne’s inner west, when it was suddenly destroyed by a falling crane in April 2019.

Two people were injured in the crash and the Pace’s family dog was killed.

Now Pace and Pantalleresco have launched legal action against the crane operator, Jason Briggs, for the emotional distress the incident caused.

Both men claim they have suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since the incident.

Pantalleresco also claims he is unable to sleep because of the distressing incident.

They have argued that Mr Brigg’s did not secure the crane properly or perform a risk assessment before using the machinery on the Pace’s neighbouring property.

In documents submitted to the Country Court of Victoria, the family claims they weren’t warned of any possible dangers before the incident, the Herald Sun reported.

Pace’s father said shortly after the crash his son was already struggling with its physiological effects.

“Fred didn’t sleep well at all. He’s taking it as well as he can,” he said.

Pantalleresco also spoke in 2019 and described the crash as sudden and terrifying.

“We just looked over and the side of the house and the roof just caved in,” he said. “Everything was flying everywhere and we just screamed and ran.”

(The Daily Mail Australia)