Henry & Andrea Wong
On a gusty day in April 2019, a crane collapsed in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood killing four people and injuring two others. Following an investigation, regulators called the tragedy “totally avoidable.” Workers had prematurely removed pins allowing the wind to pull apart huge sections of the machine that crashed onto the crowded street below.
At the time, Washington State had no public safety laws in place to protect the people from the hazards presented by tower cranes in densely populated urban areas; no rules about the weather conditions in which they may operate in; no regulations about who can assemble and dismantle, or mandatory inspection requirements.
The parents of one of the victims, Sarah Wong, wanted to prevent other families from suffering the loss and pain this accident caused them by advocating for common-sense safety requirements for tower cranes. Groundswell worked with Sarah’s family to create intentionally-crafted videos and an accompanying digital campaign to tell her story and to encourage the state legislature to pass crane safety requirements in Washington State.
In partnership with Pacific Public Affairs, Groundswell developed a comprehensive advertising campaign to support the legislation, including the production of TV commercials and a longer format web video, along with corresponding digital ads and billboards geared at increasing issue awareness and driving key legislators and their constituents to the campaign website.
On March 28, 2024, the Crane Safety Bill HB 2022 was signed by Governor Inslee, enacting new safety regulations that will save lives in Washington State.
We are proud to have been a part of this important effort, and honored that Sarah's parents trusted Groundswell to tell her story through a comprehensive media campaign.
