A recent crane accident in Manhattan that left a man dead could have been prevented, officials say.
The long boom of a construction crane that crashed at the Manhattan work site was supposed to be checked out this week by the city’s building authority. The initial inspection couldn’t be completed because the crane was being used, so it was put off until later, according to the Times Union.
The crane involved in the fatal work accident was last inspected earlier this year, in the beginning of January. The January inspection concluded that the “Crane cannot be laid down to inspect boom section, safetys only checked.”
Our New York construction accident lawyers understand that the cab and the station were determined to be in satisfactory conditions. The follow up to complete the initial inspection for that crane had been scheduled for two days after the accident occurred. The inspection before that, back in July of 2011, determined that there were no deficiencies with the crane at that time.
But that was then and this is now. In the most recent crane accident, a 30-year-old worker was killed when the boom broke and fell apart as it was moving rebar at a site where the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) was building the extension of the No. 7 subway line past Times Square.
A number of officials and agencies are still investigating the accident to determine the exact cause. Included in these investigating teams are officials with the MTA, the Manhattan district attorneys and the local police department.
As a result of the accident, the transit company has made an announcement stating that it would be inspecting every one of its cranes at all of its sites throughout the city to help make sure that all others are being operated correctly and safely.
This is the city’s third deadly crane accident in just the last four years. It also comes after a number of scandals involving corrupt or lax oversight scandals involving the industry.
Back in 2008, following two serious crane accidents that ended up killing nine people and damaging several buildings, officials in New York City completely overhauled the safety procedures and rules regarding cranes.
The particular crane in the Manhattan accident was exempt from many of the new rules because it was operating for an independent state authority.
Christine Quinn, the city’s City Council speaker, says that the lack of adherence to these new rules could be the main cause of the accident.
“The MTA should follow those rules that we worked so hard to devise,” said Jessica Lappin, a City Council Member.
New York Accident Attorney Nicholas Rose is dedicated to fighting for the rights of personal injury victims and injured construction workers in New York. If you, a coworker or someone you love has been seriously injured or killed in a construction accident in New York City or in any of the surrounding areas, contact the Law Offices of Nicholas Rose to schedule up a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call 1-718-261-0546 or toll free at 1-877-313-7673.
More Blog Entries:
Second Fatal Work Accident in Manhattan Lands Company in Big Trouble, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, March 29, 2012
