Police Say 1 Worker Dead, 1 Injured in Kansas City Crane Accident

November 13, 2009

Kansas City police say one worker died and one was injured following a crane accident at the construction site of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts on Nov. 10.

The deceased victim was identified as 35-year-old Ryan Goodman. Police say the worker who was injured, 30-year-old Shane Wagener of Grain Valley, is serious but stable condition at a Kansas City hospital.

The two men were in the bucket of the 100-foot-tall JLG Lift when it fell away from the site of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The lift landed across a platform of steel beams, officials said.

Construction on the 13-acre site began in 2006 and is scheduled to be finished in 2011. The $400 million center will be the home of the Kansas City Symphony, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Kansas City Ballet.