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VA Man Dies In Construction Site Crane Accident On Smith Mountain Lake

A VA construction worker has died while dismantling an old dock on the banks of Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. This was the first fatal commercial accident on the lake since the early 70s.

According to the Roanoke Times, 55-year-old Roger Dale Goad of Henry, Virginia, was manning a crane when the entire 10-ton piece of heavy machinery toppled off of the barge where it sat and sank 100 feet into the lake. The Franklin County's Department of Public Safety said that the construction accident was still under investigation and that the two men who were also working in the area at the time of the deadly Virginia crane accident were being interviewed for more information.

Goad was employed by Plyler Homes and Docks, a company that he had worked for during the last 38 years building houses and docks. The Moneta, Virginia, company was hired by a River Creek Road resident to tear down a dock. Rescue divers spent two hours recovering the construction worker's body, which was found near the cab of the submerged machinery. Initial reports say that the construction worker drowned, but an autopsy will confirm this in coming days.

It is unknown why the crane came loose from the barge - whether there was a mechanical failure, a human error, or other mistake -- and whether this was a case of wrongful death. In coming weeks, divers will examine the crane before it is removed and the US Coast Guard will begin an investigation. The crane fell 50 feet and came to rest about 100 feet from shore.

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