A contractor working on the Williamsburg bridge was crushed and killed by a mechanical lift on Thursday afternoon, and officials have launched an investigation into the incident. Jerry Burgess, 50, had been on the mechanical lift when it got stuck, and he and another worker attempted to reactivate the mechanical platform. The Daily News says it is "unclear what happened next," but the platform moved and pinned Burgess between the lift and the metal supports of the bridge. He died later at Bellevue Hospital. Burgess worked for Skanska Koch, which was contracted by the Department of Transportation to paint and do repair work on the bridge. more ›

A contractor working for the MTA was crushed to death yesterday morning while unloading metal panels at the Q train Avenue M station. An NYC Transit spokesman told the Post that Richard Lang was "untying the load of panels when the load shifted" underneath him. He reportedly jumped down, but the load fell on top of him when he hit the ground. A witness said, "He climbed on top of the panels. They were unsteady, and it looked like they didn't tie them." more ›

A group of Brooklyn homeowners say they've fallen victim to a Park Slope Ponzi-schemer who convinced them to pay up-front for kitchen and bathroom repairs—then delivered sub-par work, if he did any work at all. At least eight victims are pursuing legal proceedings against Brooklyn Kitchens and Baths owner Brian Ackerman, who allegedly owes the customers about $60,000 for unfinished or unsatisfactory work. more ›

The MTA says its biggest security overhaul in history "is taking too long, costing too much" and now it's running out of money. The agency has only $59 million left in the bank for the program—not nearly enough for the installation of motion sensor cameras and other high-tech gadgets at every subway station. more ›

The MTA offered its plan for repairing the Throgs Neck Bridge, the Queens-Bronx crossing that was damaged by a three-alarm fire the other week. You can read the plan here; MTA Brides & Tunnels president Susan Kupferman said, "We certainly understand the public's frustration. Our goals continue to be to reduce traffic impact and move forward with the repair plan." The fire was started by a construction worker's blow torch and the MTA says that the NJ contractor EE Cruz has accepted responsibility for the damages and repair work. EE Cruz had subcontracted the steel work to a Bronx company, Imperial Iron Works, whose crew was on the bridge during the fire. Newsday reports, "The crew that was torching steel when the fire broke out has been prohibited from working on the bridge...However, E.E. Cruz and Imperial have been retained for the continuing work, officials said." more ›