Bellevue crane collapses

Part of downtown Bellevue is a huge mess right now because of a terrible accident in which a crane collapsed and toppled over, causing major damage to several nearby buildings in downtown Bellevue last night.

The accident occurred about 7:30 p.m. at 108th Avenue Northeast near Northeast Fourth and Second streets, a bit north of the Seastar Restaurant. The crane was blocking 108th Avenue Northeast, a major downtown intersection, and the damaged buildings included Plaza 305 and the Civica Office Commons. Trafffic remained blocked overnight and into Friday morning.

The crane had been working on Tower 333, which is an office building that has been vacant for a few years, officials said.

Darryl has posted some pictures over at Hominid Views.