At Least One Reported Dead in Manhattan Crane Collapse

By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
Published: May 31, 2008

A crane toppled and collapsed onto a high-rise apartment building on East 91st Street on the Upper East Side on Friday morning, tearing off balconies and leaving a swath of damage, in the second Manhattan crane collapse in two months. One person, the operator of the crane’s cab, was killed and at least one other has been pulled from the wreckage, but that person’s condition was not immediately known, a law enforcement official said.
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The site of the crane collapse.
Reader photo by Jeffrey Cohen

The site of the crane collapse.

The crane, which was apparently being used for a construction project at 354 East 91st Street, on the northwest corner of the intersection, collapsed onto the north facade of the white-brick building at the southwest corner of 91st Street and First Avenue. The damage extends from the building’s top floor, about 20 stories up, to the second floor, just above a Duane Reade drug store.

Traffic was blocked in both directions at the intersection, where ambulances, fire trucks, and police personnel were gathered. Residents of the building peeked their heads out from windows to survey the damage.

The accident occurred just two months after a tower crane collapsed on East 51st Street between Second and First Avenues, killing seven people and prompting an extensive review of the safety of the city’s cranes.

On Friday, the Fire Department received the first 911 call about the collapse at 8:06 a.m., with the caller saying a “crane was down,” said firefighter Chris Villarroel.

He said units rushed to the scene and found the wreckage.” We pulled out two people,” said Mr. Villarroel. “We don’t know their condition.”

It was unclear immediately if those rescued were construction worker or pedestrians in the street or in the building.

Al Baker, Sewell Chan and Michael S. Schmidt contributed reporting
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Past Coverage

* City Revises Safety Rules on Cranes (May 29, 2008)
* Thefts Are Reported From Apartments Evacuated After Crane Collapse (March 27, 2008)
* City Tightens Its Regulation And Inspection of Cranes (March 26, 2008)
* Inspector Is Charged With Filing False Report Before Crane Collapsed (March 21, 2008)

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