A crane mounted on a barge collapsed as it was preparing to drive a 165-foot concrete piling into the water off the Sanibel Causeway Monday afternoon. The crane operator was killed, and another construction worker is hospitalized in good condition. Witnesses say the crane toppled after the piling began to crumble and break apart. Sheriff's deputy Angelo Vaughn was on the scene.

"A crane that was unloading 100 footpilings onto a barge - that's on the fort Myers side of the Sanibel causeway - the crane collapsed onto the barge..injuring one man and fatally injuring another man."

Workers and rescue crews dug through rubble to reach 54-year-old Kent Crappell of Louisiana. He was trapped inside the crushed crane cab and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Work has been halted on the 122 million dollar project to replace the deteriorating causeway. Inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are expected to arrive today.