[Flag_This]

"Actually now it’s not clear whether this guy was the crane operator or an excavator operator."

There are some in the biz who use the slang term "crane" when referring to an excavator, along with the terms hoe, back hoe and track hoe.

[Conscience of a Conservative]

There are some in the biz who use the slang term "crane" when referring to an excavator, along with the terms hoe, back hoe and track hoe.

That, and I'm sure there are plenty of lazy reporters out there who are perfectly happy to call any piece of heavy equipment a "crane." Kind of like how any gun is an AR-15 (or, in older stories, an AK-47).