NY Crane Accident – Same Building, Different Crane Accident

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New York City is perhaps one of the busiest cities when it comes to construction and renovation. On any given city block, construction equipment, such as a crane, will be used hundreds of feet in the air. Both commercial and residential high rise construction projects will, at some point, require use of such dangerous equipment. However, accidents are inevitable when it comes to use of construction equipment at such heights. Crane accidents are no exception.

Crane Malfunctions at NYC High Rise Apartment Construction Site

A high rise apartment building on 57th Street in New York City was the scene of a crane accident on Monday, October 7, 2013. A tower crane malfunctioned while hauling a load. Officials believe the hoisting equipment failed, leaving the concrete counterweight hanging. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Crane Accident at Same NYC High Rise in October 2012

Last year, the same building was also the site of a crane accident. After storm Sandy, a tower crane was knocked down by the 100 mph winds. It was one of New York City’s 24 tower cranes to succumb to Sandy’s raging winds. The crane’s boom dangled 1000 feet above the street for days before it was secured. No injuries were reported during this accident.

Cranes in New York construction siteCrane operations are heavily regulated by OSHA. In many cases of crane accidents or crane malfunctions, OSHA regulations were violated. For these two recent NY crane accidents, it is unclear whether OSHA regulations were violated. OSHA generally investigates a construction site accident only when a fatality occurs or when a safety violation is reported.

In any construction accident case, such as a crane accident case, multiple parties may bear liability, such as:

  • equipment operating companies,
  • equipment maintenance companies,
  • construction site architect/owner,
  • general contractors, or those responsible for the construction project, and
  • subcontractors whose employees may commit negligence leading to a construction accident.

Source, www.nbcnewyork.com, “57th Street Closed for Hours as Crane Malfunctions on Same Building Where Crane Dangled After Sandy”

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