09.10.2009

Crane hysteria hits NY

A mobile crane working on Columbus Avenue at 97th Street in New York is said to have dropped the concrete it was lifting yesterday after the reported failure of its hoist cable.

While no one was injured the incident caused some strong reactions among local residents and hysterical reporting from some of the news services.

Residents had been unhappy about the crane since it was set up earlier this week, with those living nearby repeatedly calling the city’s department of buildings to say it was unsafe, resulting in a number of site visits.
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The crane after the accdident

According to reports from the scene, it seems that the crane, a Demag owned and operated by U.S Crane and Rigging, was carrying out single line lifting work with its swingaway boom extension, when either the cable snapped or the connection to the headache ball/hook failed, causing the concrete to drop onto a heavy scaffold covering the sidewalk.

Later reports claim that it was the cranes counterweight that dropped onto a jobsite shed. (or perhaps the counterweight simply struck the shed?) The crane was removed from the job following the incident, no one was hurt.

Vertikal Comment

While something clearly went wrong here and the end result could have so easily been tragic, the reactions prior to and following the accident clearly show that there is a massive negativity towards cranes of any kind in the city, following the fatal tower crane accidents of 2008.

Comments such as “this was an accident waiting to happen” “The buildings departments ignored our warnings about this crane” “This is an absolute disgrace it should never have been allowed to be set up” and “A crane partially collapsed in New York today” All suggest that the local crane fraternity have a lot to do to win back even a smidgeon of trust from residents and the mass media.