Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is a New York Plaintiff's personal injury law firm specializing in automobile accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, police misconduct and all types of New York personal injury litigation.

Articles Posted in Crane Accidents

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Location of the boom truck collapse in Upper Manhattan5 construction workers were injured, including three seriously in a crane collapse that occurred in Upper Manhattan yesterday afternoon. The accident occurred around 2:30 pm at a construction site located at 3880 Ninth Avenue in Inwood. A crane attached to a small boom truck tragically collapsed, resulting in injuries to five construction workers.  3 of them suffered serious injuries. Investigation is ongoing with yesterday’s stormy conditions probably being a factor in the accident.  As crane accident lawyers deeply invested in the safety and rights of construction workers, this incident not only highlights the risks involved in such operations but also underscores the importance of stringent safety measures and legal recourse in the event of accidents.

In the wake of the collapse over 60 firefighters and EMS workers swiftly arrived at the scene. Their rapid action undoubtedly played a crucial role in managing the situation and minimizing further harm. However, while their response is laudable, it also brings to light questions about preventative measures and safety protocols that are essential in construction sites, especially those involving complex machinery.

Legal Implications and Worker Safety:

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crane accident lawyer nycA recent CBS New York investigation indicates that Monadock Construction was cited by NYC in the crane accident that occurred in Hells Kitchen last July and left 12 people injured.

Back in July a massive crane caught fire and collapsed onto a nearby building, causing widespread panic and property damage. Now, in a significant development, the city authorities have cited Monadnock Construction, the construction contractor responsible for the project, for failing to safeguard the construction site. This citation carries a potential penalty of $25,000, raising important questions about accountability and safety in construction operations.

The New York City Buildings Department took action by serving a violation notice to Monadnock Construction in late August. The notice clearly states that the company failed to safeguard “all persons and property affected by construction operations.” This is a fundamental requirement for any construction project, emphasizing the importance of safety measures in preventing accidents like the crane fire in Hell’s Kitchen.

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construction workers must be protectedIn the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the construction industry faced a crisis that often went unnoticed amidst the chaos of the world. While most were concerned with the virus’s immediate impact, there was another silent epidemic silently plaguing the hardworking individuals in the construction sector – drug overdoses.

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has brought to the forefront a startling revelation: construction and extraction jobs topped the list with 162.6 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 workers during the first year of the pandemic. This staggering statistic is a wake-up call to the dire state of affairs within the construction industry.

The CDC report also revealed that the drug overdose rate in the United States increased steadily from 1999 to 2020. In 2021, the U.S. drug overdose rate was a shocking 50% higher than in 2019. While provisional data from 2022 showed a 2% drop in drug overdoses from the previous year, the construction industry still remains at the forefront of this crisis.

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crane accident lawyer nycIn the early hours of this morning, New York City was struck by yet another devastating crane accident. A crane belonging to New York City Crane & Equipment Corp. caught fire and partially collapsed into a neighboring building near Hudson Yards. The crane accident left five people injured, including a firefighter. As dedicated crane accident attorneys, our law firm understands the severity of such incidents and is committed to holding those responsible accountable. In this blog, we’ll examine the details of the recent accident and discuss the crucial role of seeking justice for the victims.

The tragedy unfolded when the crane, situated at 510 10th Avenue, suddenly caught fire around 7:30 a.m. Panic ensued as the top portion of the crane collapsed, striking a nearby building before crashing to the ground. In the chaotic aftermath, pedestrians sought safety, and passing cars sounded their horns in alarm. Though the situation could have been even more dire, six individuals sustained injuries.

New York Crane & Equipment Corp has a history of  safety violations

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crane in New yorkOn April 26th, as part of the second National Stand-Down to prevent struck by accidents among construction workers, two free webinars will be offered by the NORA Construction Sector Council.

The first webinar will take place from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm and will focus on preventing struck by-accidents that occur around cranes and during lifting operations. According to statistics from the Center for Construction Research and Training, one crane accident occurs for every 10,000 hours of use. Crane collapsing or crane tipping are among the most common crane accidents. In these types of accidents, construction workers have a high risk to be crushed not only by the crane but also by the heavy material carried by the crane.  Most of the time these accidents occur because of human errors such as:

  • not using the manufacturer’s load charge for the crane
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Linemen have one of the most dangerous job in the construction industryDerrick workers in oil gas and mining, roofers, ironworkers, crane operators, construction helpers, landscaping supervisors, highway maintenance workers, cement masons, ground maintenance workers, maintenance workers and mining machine operators have some of the highest death rates among all workers. Out of the top 25 most dangerous jobs  in the US, 12 of them are related to the construction industry according to a recent study released by AdvisorSmith.

Derrick operators in the oil gas and mining industry whose job is to operate and maintain the derrick and drill equipment used to extract oil or gas have the third most dangerous activity of all American workers behind logging workers and aircraft pilots and flight engineers. The average yearly salary of a derrick operator is $51,390 and the average fatal injury rate is 46 per 100,000 workers.  20 of them died on the job  in 2018 according to the most recent data of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Roofers who average a $42,100 yearly salary come right behind them with a fatal injury rate of 41 per 100,000 workers. 96 of them died in roofing accidents in 2018.

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construction NYCThankfully nobody was injured after a loose cable on a spinning crane hit a building under construction sending giant metal debris down the streets in Midtown Manhattan yesterday night around 7 PM and creating chaos.

The metal pieces fell from the 84th floor of  a high rise under construction at 111 West 57th Street. The spinning crane at the top of the building first  caused concerns that it could be loose or unstable but later on firefighters noticed that a cable hanging from the spinning boom was constantly hitting the building, destroying it and sending pieces of metal down the street near the intersection of 6th Avenue and 56th Street.

A crane crew was then sent up and the crane operator was able to get into the crane and secure the loose cable. The DOT issued a full stop work order for failure to safeguard public and property construction operations.

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Hard-Rock-Hotel-construction-accident-e1582228604154The crane accident that killed 4 people at a Google office project in Seattle and the collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel project that resulted in 3 deaths were among the most horrendous construction accidents that occur last year in the US.  While these major tragedies were all over the news, crane accidents and partial building collapses occurred all over the country last year.  A partial collapse of a building in Cinicinnati, a crane collapse in Dallas. Most big cities in the US  had similar tragedies including New York. Last August one man died and five were injured in a building collapse (see previous blog). A crane company was temporarily banned from the city after two consecutive crane accidents including one resulting in the death of a construction worker (see previous blog).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 175 people are injured in crane accidents and 44 die on average every year in the US

Most crane accidents are caused by human errors. Many of them such as the one that occurred at the Google site in Seattle or the one that killed a worker in New York occur during the  assembling or the disassembling of the crane.  The assembly/dissassembly director is in charge of making sure that the manufacturer guidelines and all safety procedures are followed during this dangerous operation. While OSHA introduced new regulations last April, these regulations are mostly related to improving crane operator’s knowledge and training.

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craneAfter two successive crane accidents in New York including one fatal, the company United Crane and Rigging was temporary barred from continuing work at 22 construction sites in the city. The NYC DOB will allow the company to restart work only after it replaces some of the employees involved in the recent accidents that occurred on July 30 in the East Village and in April in Soho. On July 30, the company had a crane working at a site located at 749 FDR Drive. The operator of the crane was lifting steel beans when the boom of the crane bent and partially collapsed. The operator then lost control of the load which struck the building before falling on the ground. Thankfully nobody was injured but investigators found that the load lifted by the crane weighted 4,400 pounds while the maximum lifting capacity was 3,700 pounds. Back in April,  34 year old Gregory Echevarria, a war hero who served several deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan died and two other construction workers were injured after a counterweight fell and crushed him during a crane installation by the same operator (see previous blog).

To be able to restart work on its 22 construction sites, United Crane and Rigging has to provide proof to the NYC Department of Buildings that the engineer of record, master rigger, lift director, assembly and disassembly and hoisting machine operators have all been replaced with new staff. Additionally the company also has to hire an independent monitor who will report to the DOB on United Crane and Rigging’s safety compliance.The negligent crane company was also hit with 5 DOB violations for:

  1. inadequate safety measures on site
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Gregory EchevarriaA NYC hard hat who was installing a crane died after the counter weight he was setting fell on him.

34 year old Gregory Echevarria was part of a crew installing a crane at a luxury residential development located at 570 Broome Street in Soho early Saturday morning. A little bit after 3:00 am the crane counterweight that Echevarria was installing slipped and fatally struck him. The crew immediately called 911. When the EMS crew arrived they found him unresponsive with severe injuries all over his body. He was declared dead at the scene of the accident. Two other workers were also injured in the accident.  People who were in the area at the time of the accident reported a very loud sound as the 7.5 ton counterweight fell.

After the accident the crane was moved and a stop work order was issued by the Department of Buildings. The 570 Broom project is being built by  Agime Group. KSK Construction Group is managing the construction project. The DOB previously received several safety complaints for the site.