Midtown Crane Loses Load, Injuries Unknown

A crane at One Bryant Park, aka the Bank of America tower on Sixth Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Streets, reportedly lost some materials it was carrying. Curbed is reporting that the materials/debris/ garbage bin fell at least 35 floors - and it looks like a cab was hit. A Gothamist reader who works near the building writes:

Our windows look out at the construction site and it looks like some beams were dropped right onto Sixth avenue. No cars were crushed, but I couldn't tell if anyone was hurt or not (there were ambulances at the scene). Sixth ave is closed off north of 42nd and half of 42nd St is now closed, too. We've been told by our building management to stay away from the windows on the Sixth avenue side and the entrance to the building is closed - we're using a service entrance now.

We've heard that three people have been injured, but that hasn't been substantiated. CityRoom reports that some materials have fallen onto another building, which is being secured by emergency responders.

Last year, a crane fell from construction site 110 Third Avenue, hitting a cab, but miraculously there were no serious injuries. And How Stuff Works has an entry on how tower cranes works.

Photograph from a 2006 visit to the BoA site

UPDATE: Meatloafing has some good shots of the damage the dumpster caused on its way down. They also caught this awesome shot of a segway-riding journalist at the scene:

Meatloafing also has a video:

Update: Six people - three firefighters, three civilians - have minor injuries. It seems that a crane dropped a container about 20 stories; it fell onto a landing and its debris fell to the ground. Many streets in the vicinity are closed.

Update: 1010 WINS reports the crane bucket dropped 53 stories; now eight people have minor injuries.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on October 17, 2007 1:42 PM

Comments [rss]

itsiatkins

The Segway owner and photographer is Itsi Atkins, of SegwayNYC.com

We have 10 Segways waiting for you. Check us out and if you need a Orson Welles lookalike just send me a note;

itsiAtkins

plasticparisonitunes@gmail.com

Amanda Harletsch

The graphic is AWESOME!

yakatori

Nice graphic Jen. Way to keep it classy.

r_friend

@Landor:

He has also named his Segway Rosebud, predictably.

riotturtle

considering the scenarios that went through my head when i saw firetruck after firetruck from the "Collapse Rescue" division coming over the 59th street bridge, this is actually kind of a relief.

Ron

I would like to meatloaf that reporter.

Vonkhan

I work at 44th & 6th and was walking out for lunch when this happened.

Apart from what's been mentioned, a couple of windows from the building were also knocked out (plenty of glass on the street).

Traffic was totally blocked from 42nd-44th St. along 5th Ave.

Jake Dobkin

@ landor-- that's hilarious! he looks exactly like orson welles in his later Dom Delouise / Paul Prudhomme years!

gaycurmudgeon

Is it just me or does that look like the Freedom Tower?

chuzzlewit

Yeah Landor - If Orson Welles silently rolling forth bearing a camcorder and a lilac thong isn't a sure sign of the impending Apocalypse, I don't know what is.

shovel

this was also the same site where workers were the subject of an undercover investigation for drinking during their lunch hour.

Landor

The journalist on the Segway is Charles Foster Kane.

MT

That's not a lucky block for construction. I remember the day the scaffolding fell at the then under construction Conde Nast building right next door to that site.