May 30, 2008 - NY Crane Collapse Kills 1, Injures Others

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A crane collapsed at a construction site on Manhattan’s Upper East Side early Friday morning, falling onto a high-rise apartment building. The crane operator was killed and at least two others were seriously injured, according to a fire department spokesman.

The crane’s cab crashed into the top floor of the 20-story apartment building, after the crane had snapped in two.  The cap then toppled down the side of the building before landing atop a drug store at ground level. Police reported that the operator of the crane died at the scene.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters that the dead and critically injured were construction workers. A pedestrian at the scene suffered only minor injuries, he said.

"The crane had fallen in the middle of the street and was on fire. There was water spewing out of the apartment building all over the place. And I dialed 911," said a resident of a nearby building.

This accident comes only months after another tower crane collapsed in Manhattan in March, killing seven people at a construction site.