Two thousand aught eight continues to be a tragic year for construction in New York City. Just an hour ago a crane collapsed at 1st Ave. and 91st St., killing at least two people one person (the crane operator) as of now. Reports from ABC7 say that other people are still trapped in the rubble. The area, already a mess from the building boom up there, is now sadly strewn with debris from the collapse.
From The Gothamist:
A crane collapsed at 1st Avenue and 91st Street on the Upper East Side around 8:15 a.m. According to initial reports, there are people trapped inside. There is wreckage on 91st Street, with FDNY and other emergency responder going through the rubble. The crane was located at a new construction site.Crane safety and new construction has come under new scrutiny after the March 15 crane collapse that claimed the lives of 7 people--a civilian and six workers at a new condominium on East 51st Street. Earlier this week, the Department of Buildings announced that its inspectors will no longer be on site when cranes are built "or made taller". Per the NY Times, "Instead, inspectors will make spot checks of the crane raisings, known as jumps, and of safety meetings at which procedures for each jump must be laid out.
Update: The FDNY is reporting two fatalities at this point. Apparently the top of a crane--including the cab-- fell off (possibly 20-25 stories) and hit a building across the street (it looks like a penthouse across the street has a corner taken out of it). WABC 7 reports the crane may have been in full extension, snapped in half and hit the building.
Now the worry is that the building under construction may have structural problems from the impact. City officials are already out and about, Scott Stringer said it looks like a bomb went off and the Mayor is frustrated as well. Despite the recent departure of DoB head Patricia Lancaster, problems have not been solved and obviously more must be done to ensure the safety of construction workers and the busy Manhattan environment around them.
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