what a nightmare. An entire apartment building crushed? seems like a lot of damage from a falling crane.
New York is not a good place to be this week.
Just watched the video...Brutal.
bttt
“Working without a permit”? A homeowner can barely build a deck or a shed in some places without some inspector coming to see if they have a permit, but a 19 story crane is out there without a permit? It don’t compute to me.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cxM83_hHJC8
May the victims RIP.
bump
Interesting that the March 8, 2008 issue of ENR (Engineering News-Record) addresses the safety of these giants and the lack of mandatary inspections, as well as the lack of any strict qualifications to be an operator.
When you watch the video, notice that the moronic cameraman comments only on the destruction caused by the crane’s boom. What is clearly visible, although he never comments on it, is that the crane’s tower is still upright but is leaning precariously against the building across 51st St from the construction site. I’d pay real good money for a front-row ticket, just out of range, to watch them ease that baby down.
Looks like Google Earth has a very recent image: 1st Avenue between E. 50th & 51st Streets, if I’m not mistaken. The four-story apartment building that was crushed appears to front Mitchell Place and is quite visible in the foreground.
a snip from an ap piece on the Mercury News
4 dead after 19-story crane levels buildings in Manhattan
By Pat Rizzo and Clare Trapasso
Associated Press
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8586312%3fsource=rss
...
About 19 of the 44 stories of the high-rise condominium had been erected, and the crane was scheduled to be extended Saturday so workers could start work on a fresh story, said an owner of the company that manages the construction site.
A piece of steel fell and sheared off one of the ties holding it to the building, causing it to detach and topple, said Stephen Kaplan, an owner of the Reliance Construction Group.
“It was an absolute freak accident,” Kaplan said. “All the piece of steel had to do was fall slightly left or right, and nothing would have happened.”
Kaplan said the company had subcontracted the work to different companies and was not in charge of the crane. He wasn’t sure if any workers at the site were among those killed.
...
Can you IMAGINE what THIS person is thinking today “from the 9 open violations link”:
“1) CALLER STATES, CRANE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE BRACED TO THE BUILDING. THERE ONLY TIE BACKS ON 5 OR 6 FLOOR BUT UPPER PART WHICH IS 100 FT UP IS UNSECURED”
Ping.