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Deadly N.Y. Crane Accident Renews Fears Over Safety

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The Associated Press

Published: May 31, 2008

NEW YORK - A construction crane snapped and smashed into an apartment building with a thunderous roar Friday, killing two workers in the city's second such tragedy in 2 1/2 months and renewing fears about the safety of hundreds of cranes towering over the New York skyline.

The collapse happened despite stepped-up inspections and a shake-up in the city Buildings Department after the earlier accident, which killed seven people in March.

City officials could not immediately say how the 200-foot crane fell apart on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where contractors were building a 32-story luxury condo complex.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the accident "unacceptable and intolerable" but added: "Having said that, we do not know at the moment what happened or why."

With the city going through a supercharged building boom and an estimated 250 cranes in operation as of mid-March, New York has seen a series of deadly construction accidents. Nine people have died in crane accidents so far this year. None died in crane accidents last year; two were killed in 2006.

"Construction of buildings is out of control in this city," City Councilman Tony Avella said. "How many people have to die before the mayor decides enough is enough?"
City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin, who represents the neighborhood affected by the collapse in March, said: "People shouldn't live in fear walking near a construction site - and certainly shouldn't feel fear sitting in their living rooms."

Building Department records said officials halted work at the Upper East Side site after the crane failed a "load test" April 22. However, the crane passed a second test the next day, and no violation was issued.

Department records also indicate several neighborhood complaints about cranes at the site in recent weeks. At least two callers had expressed concerns about parts of the crane extending past safety barriers. One complained that workers were hoisting heavy metal and concrete over pedestrians.

Inspectors found most of the concerns were unwarranted, and Building Department officials said the crane had been inspected frequently.

The crane toppled just after 8 a.m., destroying a penthouse apartment across the street and knocking off balconies on the apartment building as it plunged more than 20 stories into a heap of twisted steel. The city said in a statement that the cab where the operator sits had separated from the crane's tower.

"The sound was like a thunderclap. Then, an earthquake," said Peter Barba, who lives on the seventh floor.

Killed were the crane operator, Donald Leo, 30, and another worker, 27-year-old Ramadan Kurtaj. A third construction worker was seriously injured, and one pedestrian was treated for minor injuries.

Construction foreman Scott Bair said one of the workers on his 40-man crew was taken to the hospital with his "chest slashed open." His eyes filled with tears, Bair said his own life was saved because he left to get an egg sandwich for breakfast a block away just before the collapse.

"I thought, I'm hungry, and I want to go get something to eat - and that saved my life," he said. When he returned to the site, "Everyone was shook up and crying. These are some hardened men, but they were crying."

In New York, the general contractor on the project, Leon D. DeMatteis Construction Corp., said Sorbara Construction, a subcontractor, was in charge of operating the crane. A woman who answered the telephone at Sorbara said no one was available to comment.

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