UWS Crane Collapse Costs $25K

The crane accident that went down at 775 Columbus Avenue yesterday afternoon is going to cost a pretty penny for some involved. The Real Deal reports that "the general contractor, crane owner and operator at Columbus Square face fines of up to $25,000 after a piece of a crane crushed a sidewalk covering."

The 13-story rental building was under construction (but has been declared structurally stable), and no injuries were reported; the DoB told the the site that "the accident occurred while workers at the site were dismantling a mobile crane. One of the crane's counterweights — used to balance the load the crane is lifting — struck a sidewalk shed, causing part of the structure to collapse." Thankfully, no one was hurt.

Currently there's a stop work order for the crane, and the operator was issued a an Environmental Control Board violation. West Side Spirit talked to a nearby resident, David Fuhrman of 382 Central Park West, who told them "he had filed two complaints about the crane with the department, starting on Oct. 5, before this afternoon’s accident. 'The crane operator should not be operating this crane,' he said. 'It pisses me off. It could have been my building.'”