ANOTHER KILLER CRANE IN NEW YORK CITY

The Tangled Crane Mess

Once again another construction crane collapsed today on New York City's Upper East Side, smashing into a 23-story apartment building as it went flying to the ground. One construction worker was killed and two others were seriously injuring. It was the second building crane accident in 2½ months on the east side, which is undergoing a huge building boom just like the rest of Manhattan. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the latest collapse was "unacceptable," and the city would investigate. Speaking to the press, Bloomberg said one of the casualties was in the cab of the crane and a second was on the street below. He said he didn't know about the third person and didn't say who else was killed.The mayor said seven buildings around the area have been evacuated as a precaution following the collapse. One body was brought out of the rubble at East 91st Street and First Avenue, placed on a gurney and covered in a white sheet in clear view of the public. A construction worker knelt over the stretcher, gently stroking the sheet. It is not known whether there are more fatalities. Rescue crews pulled others out of the wreckage, the Fire Department said. Their conditions were not known right now. Firefighters and rescue workers continued to search through the building wreckage.The neighborhood, not far from the mayor's official residence, Gracie Mansion, has undergone a construction boom in recent years, with high-rises swiftly replacing older, low-rise brownstones. In the March 15 accident about 2 miles to the south, contractors building a 46-story condominium near the United Nations were trying to lengthen the crane when a steel support broke, killing seven people. A four-story town house was demolished and several other buildings were damaged.

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Editors Note: The greed of builders and landlords continues. You can not complain about un-safe conditions in New York City. They tell you they will give your complaint to the buildings department. When you ask when will someone go there, they say it could be days and they just don't know. When you complain about anything in New York City, it could be days and most of the time it is too late. The city wants the new tax money but they don't realize that down the line we must build new sewers, add more subways and buses and build more infrastructure to handle the people and the building. We lose in the long run. Chicago and other big cities find new uses for their old buildings. Why Can't we?