Crane drops huge air conditioning unit down 30 stories in Midtown, damaging building and injuring..

nydailynews.com ^ | May 31, 2015 | Greg B. Smith , Edgar Sandoval , Keldy Ortiz , Caitlin Nolan , Stephen Rex Brown

[PROCON]

A crane hauling an air conditioner into the top floor of a 30-story building dropped the heavy load Sunday morning, smashing parts of the building and injuring 10 people.

Workers were loading the shipping container-sized machine into 261 Madison Ave. when a rigging strap holding the air conditioner broke, a city official familiar with the ongoing investigation told the Daily News.

The chiller sheered the building as it fell. Debris rained down on Madison Ave. around E. 38th St.

Part of the 30-story building's facade near the roof was bashed open.

[umgud]

Failed equipment, put in place by riggers.

[Amendment10]

What’s the possibility that dust from the damaged building had a significant amount of toxic materials in it? I recently noticed that asbestos is still used in building materials for example.

I also noticed what appeared to be moist asphalt around the AC unit. More safety concerns there.

[RedMDer]

We cannot exist
without you.

Let's Git-R-Done! Monday is June!

We cannot exist
without you.

[NoCmpromiz]

Can you use that word, still?

Depends on how you spell it...

[PROCON]

Well certainly asbestos is no longer used but is contained in older buildings.

You should see the rules and regulations regarding asbestos abatement.

[Vigilanteman]

Any idea where that picture was taken? Incredibly amazing that something that big apparently only hit two parked vehicles.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

That’ll just buff out, no big deal.

[livius]

Is that the building it fell from?

Amazing that no one was killed. Even small window-size AC units drop out and kill people every year in NY.

[miss marmelstein]

Nope! Like all good Freepers I only read the headline. It was a top of the building, central air-conditioning unit?

[Veggie Todd]

#AirConditionerLivesMatter

[Steely Tom]

I wonder how many millions that will cost to clean up and repair. Not to mention fines and penalties.

[NoCmpromiz]

I only read the headline.

Well just dang.. Look at the pretty pictures then.. ;-)

Methinks a "shipping container-sized machine" would require a really big window... ;-)

[Amendment10]

"Well certainly asbestos is no longer used but is contained in older buildings."

You may be correct. But Googling asbestos shows that the USA has not outlawed the use of asbestos in several things, building materials one of them.

Otherwise, I understand that some people who helped to clean up NYC after 9/11 tragedy later developed lung problems, not necessarily asbestos related.

[gorush]

[miss marmelstein]

No, just a New Yorker.

[miss marmelstein]

Ahem. I will remind you that “shipping container-sized machine” was not in the headline. If they want people to understand that it wasn’t a Friedrich air-conditioner to fit in a window, they should put it in the headline. Damned incompetent article if you ask me...

[buridan]

Was it an air conditioner or an heir conditioner?

[Paladin2]

At least the crane didn’t tip over. I’d blame the riggers.

[petercooper]

I’ll come back and secure that.

[C210N]

That was Washington DC ... Few years back