Crane Falls Into SF Bay

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― A dry dock crane operator was hospitalized after his crane collapsed into San Francisco Bay at Pier 70 on Monday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and San Francisco Fire Dept.

Petty Officer Kevin Neff said it was not yet known what caused the crane to tip over into the water about 10 a.m.

The crane operator, who was pulled immediately from the wreckage by a tugboat, appeared to be unharmed.

The man was transported to San Francisco General Hospital as a precaution, said SFFD spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge.

A Coast Guard vessel dispatched about 10 minutes after the incident was reported discovered a sheen stretching for about 100 yards on the water near the scene of the collapse.

"We have received report of the sheen but we don't know how much it is," Petty Officer Russell Nagle said.

An environmental incident management team was trying to identify the substance and determine whether to deploy barriers to contain the slick.

The Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA, will be in charge of investigating the crane accident to determine if the company in charge of the crane was using proper safety procedures before the accident occured, Talmadge said.