On Tuesday, the Fire Department confirmed that a construction accident involving a boom truck in northern Manhattan, New York City, injured at least five workers.
The accident occurred after 2 pm near West 207th Street and 9th Avenue in Inwood.
Workers Injured in NYC Construction Accident
FDNY rescue crews responded to 3880 9th Ave. before 2:30 pm after receiving reports of a crane collapse. FDNY crews determined it was not a crane collapse but a smaller boom truck. Fox News reported that authorities said the boom truck was transporting a load of plywood when it abruptly toppled over and collapsed.
According to BigRentz, a boom truck may travel like a regular truck and raise lighter loads than a crane, whereas a crane usually lifts heavier loads and remains in one place. Four people suffered from minor injuries, and one had serious non-life-threatening injuries. The five workers were all sent to a nearby hospital.
Images and video from the site showed victims being treated and transported. According to Fox 29, the cause of the accident was not immediately clear. Earlier Tuesday, the DOB advised the contractors and crane workers to take precautionary measures as a strong storm will arrive in the city, bringing winds up to 60 mph and heavy rain.
NYC's Most Disastrous Crane Collapses
In 2008, two of the most catastrophic crane collapses in the city involved cranes operated by New York Crane and Equipment Corp. The city was forced to restructure its tower crane inspection and regulation procedure after nine deaths.
Authorities confirmed that a construction worker fell to his death later that year while assisting in the dismantling of a different company's crane. Chris Van Duyne was among the two crane operators whose licenses were suspended for eight months.
According to officials, the same individual operated the crane that caught fire on Wednesday. New York Crane and Van Duyne did not promptly respond to phone messages left on Thursday. No one has openly accused the crane operator or the crane company of any wrongdoing.
As officials await answers, the leader of the council's housing and building committee, City Council Member Pierina Sanchez, expressed concern that a crane company previously punished for safety violations was once again connected to a significant incident.
Sanchez said that it raises concern that a company that had a history of injuries and fatalities on-site was still doing business in the city of New York. Industry experts claimed that fifteen years ago, New York imposed stricter crane regulations than other states after several consecutive collapses.
Stephen Smith, executive director of the Center for Building in North America, said the regulations requiring multiple city-specific licenses and high insurance liability have the unintended consequence of preventing new businesses from entering New York's market.
