![Two workers dangle from collapsed crane in North Sydney Photo: Sebastian Bird Two workers dangle from collapsed crane in North Sydney Photo: Sebastian Bird](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-feed-data/8b065b9c-de6a-46c7-ac3a-b202a25f931e.jpg/r0_0_729_409_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![Paramedics take a worker from a North Sydney building site to hospital after a crane collapse. Photo: Aaron Patrick Paramedics take a worker from a North Sydney building site to hospital after a crane collapse. Photo: Aaron Patrick](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-feed-data/a5796ae4-a4cb-4460-b479-4b20b5c4815c.jpg/r0_0_729_410_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A mechanical failure is being blamed for the dramatic collapse of a crane that left three workers dangling from a North Sydney high-rise building on Sunday.
At least one worker suffered broken bones in the hair-raising incident at the Meriton building site on Arthur Street that left all three men in the Royal North Shore Hospital.
Part of Arthur Street remained closed to traffic early on Monday morning as the delicate operation continued to dismantle the dangling crane piece by piece.
A Transport Management Centre spokesman said Arthur Street reopened just after 7am on Monday after an "extensive salvage" operation.
"Traffic has now returned to normal and buses are no longer being diverted," he said.
CFMEU NSW secretary Brian Parker said on Sunday the operation to remove the crane was a "very, very dangerous process and it needed to be analysed very carefully".
A team from Titan Cranes, which is also involved in the construction project at Barangaroo, was at the building site on Sunday to deconstruct the tower crane as the project neared completion.
Something had "gone amiss" about 11.30am with the riggers involved in the process, Mr Parker said.
The crane's jib bent, collapsed and hit the side of the building.
The riggers - aged 24, 28 and 36 - who were working within the crane's boom, were trapped and dangled precariously about 60 metres above the ground.
"They had their safety equipment on and lanyards so when the boom came down they were strapped on," NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Adam Dewberry said.
The 24-year-old worker freed himself and climbed on to the building's roof.
Operators of a smaller crane at the same site then managed to lower down a metal bucket to their trapped colleagues, who were lowered to the ground.
Mr Parker said it looked as though mechanical failure rather than human error was at play.
However, an initial look at the collapsed crane showed nothing obvious to indicate what exactly that failure was.
"The unfortunate thing here is we don't know exactly what has gone wrong," Mr Parker said.
"The workers, once they are in the right state of mind and have dealt with their injuries, will be spoken with [to ascertain what went wrong]."
"We are very pleased that it seems to be all the workers had their safety gear in place. This could have been a fatality."
While work on the Meriton project has been limited to mostly week days, the deconstruction of cranes always occurred on a weekend, he added.
Once the injured riggers reached the ground, where paramedics and fire crews were waiting, they struggled to walk.
"They must have had reasonably serious [injuries] because they were completely immobile," said Aaron Patrick, a Fairfax Media employee, who lives next door.
The 28-year-old man suffered chest, spinal and pelvic injuries and was flown to hospital in a serious condition. His condition had improved to stable on Monday morning.
The 24-year-old and 36-year-old were also taken to hospital with injuries. The 24-year-old man was released from hospital on Sunday evening, while the 36-year-old remained in hospital in a stable condition.
A SafeWork NSW spokeswoman said two inspectors would be sent to the site to focus on whether there had been any work, health and safety breaches.
Crane accident meriton site north sydney cops and fire brigade on site @9NewsSyd @TripleMSydney pic.twitter.com/s6E9V4n7Qp— Phil McNaughton (@philmcnaughton) September 25, 2016
@7NewsSydney crane down in North Sydney pic.twitter.com/1CMwJxIx9a— Sebastian Bird (@MrSebBird) September 25, 2016