Crane collapses onto roofs of 2 homes in Northwest DC injuring worker and 2 occupants

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Authorities say a crane collapsed onto the roofs of two homes in Northwest D.C. leaving a worker injured and two residents under medical evaluation.

The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. in the 1300 block of 11th Street.

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Officials say the crane was working at a home under construction when it tipped over damaging that structure and an adjacent occupied row house.

One worker was injured and transported to the hospital. Two residents of the occupied home are being evaluated.

At around 1:40 p.m. or so, an attempt to lift the crane with a rescue crane failed after a couple of straps snapped, throwing the crane right back on top.

Some people who live in the houses described to FOX 5's Ayesha Khan what they heard the first time around and then seeing the rescue crane break away from the straps. 

"It shook the whole floor and I looked out the back and saw what looked like a power line that went down but it was actually the cable from the crane and there was smoke from whatever it was holding fell so it was pretty crazy," said Sarah Sherwood.

An elderly man and a caretaker who were in the house where the crane caused the most damage were luckily not hurt.

Investigators are talking with the crane operator to see where things went wrong, causing the crane to crash.