Last Wednesday, strong winds in Washington D.C. flipped a 500-foot crane that was assisting in repair efforts for the National Cathedral, damaged in last year's 5.8 magnitude earthquake in the region.

The crane, with operator inside, had just finished depositing materials onto the Cathedral's rooftop when it became unbalanced and came crashing to the ground. The arm was extended nearly 350 feet at the time of the failure, crushing several vehicles and damaging at least one building on its tumble back to earth.

The operator was not seriously injured in the fall, and thankfully no bystanders were hurt - despite the fact that the crane came crashing down along a pedestrian walkway for students of the National Cathedral School, which started that day.

More info via NBC Washington.