Seven Dead After Devastating Crane Collapse in Manhattan
At least seven people were killed when a large crane collapsed Saturday afternoon at a construction site on Manhattan's East Side. The crane toppled across the street and damaged three buildings, destroying a fourth. Twenty-four were reportedly injured following the devastating NY crane accident which occurred at 303 East 51st Street, near Second Avenue, at about 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 15. Ten people remained hospitalized, but the three critically injured victims were upgraded to serious condition.
Investigators said the collapse began Saturday afternoon as crews were "jumping" the crane - installing new sections on the 200-foot main tower to keep pace with what is to be a 43-story building. A six ton steel collar being fitted around the tower at the 18th floor somehow came loose and crashed down onto another collar on the ninth floor - snapping it loose from three 12-inch-wide steel beams that held it to the building. The three support beams were sheared off and with no supports remaining above the third floor, the 164-ton crane buckled to the south and snapped atop a building – sending a 75-foot section skidding over rooftops until the new york construction accident destroyed the four-story townhouse where two of the victims were standing in a kitchen.
If you have read this blog for any amount of time, or any New York newspaper for that matter, you know that construction accidents in our fair city are an all too common occurrence. On any given day, more then 250 cranes dot our city skyline as new massive buildings are erected, seemingly on a daily basis. It is no wonder that so many injuries occur because of crane accidents. Every year, in fact, many crane operators are killed or seriously injured on the job. This occurs even though many state and federal regulations, as well as industry standards, require owners, general contractors and sub-contractors to implement a wide variety of safety measures.
Our construction litigation department has been handling complex construction accident cases for years and has a vast degree of knowledge about New York State Labor Law and the Industrial Code. Our experience in dealing with new york crane accidents like the tragedy that occurred in New York over the weekend gives us an advantage over other personal injury attorneys. We only represent individuals who are injured by negligence; and our firm has achieved great success in representing individuals injured in New York construction accidents.
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If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident contact the New York Crane Accident Attorneys at Wingate, Russotti & Shapiro today for a free consultation.
