This is one of sadly many instances we see make it to youtube but have had dire consequences for the operator and innocent folks standing in a place the operator should have removed them from.
It boggles my mind on the inherent dangers people place themselves in just for a front row seat. ALL operators need to be more aware of what is going on and have much better control of that same thing. When a knuckle boom crane stabilizer system is largely ignored by the operator, it’s really inviting an accident to happen. It’s not a matter of “IF”, it’s just a matter of “when”.
This video is a bit long to watch but the point is yes it could have been much worse, but it also could have been prevented entirely:
The “streetside stabilizer beam wasn’t even deployed, the drivers side was, just not fully, the forces of the crane in motion on the “d-side” were clearly enough to bring the crane over. Far too much boom, and not enough stability, this is always a recipe for disaster.