Investigators looking into why a giant 170-foot crane collapsed and killed a worker at the 7 train extension site Tuesday night are homing in on the crane's "hoisting system." The crane was not carrying any load when the boom broke and fell apart, but a steel-wire cable of the crane snapped just moments before the accident. Officials say it had "a number of defects" in its hoisting system. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] One worker is dead after a crane collapse at the 7 train extension construction site at 34th Street between 11th and 10th Avenues, an FDNY spokesperson confirms. Other workers are also injured, one with serious injuries and the other with minor injuries. The FDNY says two huge pieces of the giant crane—one 80 feet long and another approximately 40 feet long—became dislodged and fell in the accident. The crane itself was 170 feet. more ›

Yesterday, a number of beams fell from a crane about 40 stories at the World Trade Center site's Tower 4, hitting a truck. Only one person suffered minor injuries in the incident that one ironworker said "sounded like a bomb." more ›

Well, that's according to a traffic alert at West 34th Street and 6th Avenue: "ONLY ONE LANE OPEN DUE TO A CRANE THAT IS STUCK AND CAN'T BE REMOVED FROM HANGING OVER THE ROADWAY." The boom crane is apparently stuck 90 feet in the air. more ›

After a 250-foot crane partially collapsed and ended up leaning against a Financial Street building on Saturday night, the Department of Buildings has suspended the license of the crane operator. A DOB spokesman said that Christopher Cosban "failed to leave the equipment in the safest position possible" when he left the work site. Um, can all other crane operators PLEASE leave equipment in the safest position possible before you head home? more ›

The 250-foot tall crane that partially collapsed and ended up leaning on 80 Maiden Lane last night was righted and then taken apart this morning. No one was injured (even though some of the building's bricks fell when the crane hit it) but concerns over the crane's stability prompted the evacuation some neighboring Financial District buildings. This morning, residents and workers in 80, 83, 90 and 100 Maiden Lane as well as 2 Gold Street were allowed back (there are still some street closures) as the authorities continue to investigate. more ›

A crane in the Financial District collapsed and is leaning on the building at 80 Maiden Lane. Streets are closed and buildings are being evacuated. According to a reader, who said the crane was put up this morning, "It sounded like something falling down a very large metal trash chute. Like the sound you would hear if something was thrown into an empty dumpster but that sound lasted much longer. Once I heard the sound I immediately thought of the crane and knew it couldn't be good..." more ›

As expected, the former chief crane inspector in NYC pleaded guilty late yesterday to charges of bribery. Former Dept. of Buildings official James Delayo agreed to a 2-6 years plea deal, admitting to selling crane licenses and tests, and pocketing over $10,000 in bribes in the process. Prosecutors explained that among several petty bribes, Delayo dealt largely with Long Island-based crane company, Nu-Way Crane Service, who paid him $3,000 to provide advance copies of the DOB's crane-licensing exam. But Delayo's lawyers insist he never put anyone in danger, and had nothing to do with the two major crane collapses in 2008 which resulted in nine deaths. Crane operator Michael Pascalli and Nu-Way Crane Service head Michael Sackaris are also charged with bribery in the case. more ›

Today in court a former top crane inspector, arrested when crane collapses killed nine in 2008, is expected to plead guilty to accepting bribes. Collecting $10,000 over eight years, James Delayo didn't just doctor inspections, he's accused of skipping them altogether. However, the Daily News reports that charges against him involve "smaller mobile cranes," not the towering machines that fell two years ago on the Upper East Side and in Midtown. more ›

Two years after a collapsing crane killed two workers on the Upper East Side, the crane company’s owner—in addition to an employee and the company itself—is expected to face charges of manslaughter. When two cranes came crashing down in 2008, the Manhattan DA launched an investigation of James Lomma that turned up evidence the machinery wasn’t properly repaired after being struck by lightning. "In answer to the question about how I feel about Jimmy Lomma being taken away in handcuffs, I say it's a start and about time,” said one of the workers' fathers. “It will never bring my son back...but it might finally be the beginning of paying real attention to the safety of workers who risk their lives to feed their families." more ›

First birds, now cranes: On January 8th, pilots trying to land at La Guardia had to work around a giant crane on a barge in the middle of Flushing Bay, 2,000 feet from the runway. The crane is being used to build a controversial trash-transfer station in College Point, which critics predict will attract thousands of additional birds, like the ones that brought down U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River. While construction cranes are permitted near airports, ideally they're not supposed to get between planes and the runway. An FAA spokesperson tells the Post some flights had to be diverted until the barge was moved out of the flight path. more ›

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." more ›

Everything's fine! However, earlier this afternoon a crane struck a piece of scaffolding at an Upper West Side rental building that is under construction. The location was 775 Columbus Avenue, part of the new Columbus Square complex, and the Real Deal is reporting there are no injuries, "but emergency personnel were on the scene, making sure the crane was secure. It was not clear at press time what caused the collision." more ›

A year ago yesterday, a crane collapsed at an Upper East Side construction site at 91st Street and First Avenue. Two people were killed and it turned out the crane had been damaged from a 2007 lightning strike (the New York Crane Company had it fixed with welding). Now the Daily News reports that the Chinese company that did the welding wasn't confident of its abilities "but relented after New York Crane coughed up more money." RTR Bearings told New York Crane its welding technique "is not good" and a testing firm found (a month before the crane collapse) that RTR's work on another piece of New York Crane equipment was "unacceptable." The News also found memos showing an Ohio firm saying it could weld the crane in 28 weeks for $120,000, while "RTR said it could do the work in 80 to 90 days for just $21,710." RTR ultimately "repaired" the crane and New York Crane apparently didn't re-inspect it, simply put it to work at the UES site. more ›

A year ago, a Midtown condo construction site's crane fell into neighboring buildings on East 50th Street near 2nd Avenue. Aside from damaging neighboring buildings and leveling a townhouse, seven people—six construction workers and one woman in the townhouse—were killed. Neighbors had complained about the construction, but the incident further forced the Department of Buildings to monitor cranes more carefully (another crane killed two just two months later). Last week, the DOB released findings from its investigation: Ultimately, four synthetic slings—including one that had prior physical damage—used to support a 11,279-pound steel collar (eight slings are usually used) were blamed, from how they were placed to how there was no padding to protect the slings from sharp edges. Earlier this year, the Manhattan DA's office charged the crane rigger with manslaughter. more ›

Updated: The Port Authority tell us that the construction worker was not pinned by a collapsed crane, as previously reported: "A crane maintenance worker fell 3 feet off a crane while doing routine maintenance at 7 a.m. He suffered minor injuries and was taken to St. Vincent's as a precaution." His injury is "not believed to be life-threatening." Last week, it as revealed that the Port Authority had to pay another $64 million in fines to WTC developer Larry Silverstein, for delays in turning over the site. more ›

Get ready for some high-profile headlines to be ripped from the papers for Law & Order, starting with tonight's episode about a crane accident. According to the Post, L&O doesn't really deal with "this city's crooked contractors and their shoddy half-built nightmares, sleazy inspectors and falling cranes," it just begins with a crane accident and then the investigation goes in another direction. Meanwhile, over on Page Six there's talk of (sigh) a Heath Ledger-esque Law & Order. They report that the plot "is 'supposed to be about Heath Ledger' and features a male supermodel, played by Ryan Locke, who 'has a great career and gets all the ladies.' Perhaps the eeriest comparison is to Ledger's actual death by overdose when the character 'leaves a club with a girl. They have sex and do drugs, and the next morning, his friend finds him dead.'" Next up: Joshua Walter and Gina Salamino? more ›

That unusual occurrence on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge we mentioned this morning? It turns out a crane hit the bottom of the bridge. WABC 7 reports that a passing ship's crane was the culprit, hitting the 125-year-old structure around 7:30 a.m.: "the crane left debris on the bottom of the bridge, but did not appear to cause any damage to the structure." The Department of Transportation is checking the bridge to make sure--and we're curious if the ship was fine. No one goes around hurting the Brooklyn Bridge! more ›

The Department of Buildings suspended Michael Carbone, a senior DOB crane inspector, for "neglect of duty." The Post actually contacted the DOB, noting he "had cleared several complaints last year that claimed unqualified operators were working in the industry and that some of their licenses were fraudulent." In fact, a caller or callers kept complaining about crane operators not having licenses or obtaining them fraudulently. Last month, a top DOB official was arrested for giving crane operator test answers to crane companies in advance. more ›

Today was going to Janine Belcastro and Donald Leo's wedding day. But Leo, a crane operator, died in last month's crane collapse on the Upper East Side. The Daily News says Belcastro's sister and friend have taken her on a trip this weekend. A friend said, "She's still too upset. It's still too much for her." more ›

The Department of Buildings confirmed to the Daily News that it found cracks in a crane at a construction site in lower Manhattan. The crane happens to be a Kodiak tower crane owned by New York Crane & Equipment Co.--the same model and firm involved last month's fatal crane collapse at East 91st Street and First Avenue. more ›

An insurance company executive, whose client owned the crane had once been repaired before collapsing on East 91st Street last Friday, said the Department of Buildings knew the crane's history. NationalBuilders Insurance Services executive vice president Kevin Cunningham said, "The DOB inspector certified that it was OK to go back to work." more ›

The Building Department allowed "most" crane operations across the city to resume as the investigation into what caused Friday's fatal crane collapse at East 91st Street continues. more ›

Yesterday, at a luxury condominium construction site, a crane collapsed at East 91st Street and First Avenue, damaging a building across the street and killing two workers. Though this was the second crane collapse in two months, city officials do not believe the circumstances were similar to th March 15 incident where a condominium construction crane collapsed into buildings, killing seven people. In fact, the DOB believes a weld in the crane is what failed. more ›

A crane collapsed at 1st Avenue and 91st Street on the Upper East Side around 8:15 a.m. According to initial reports, there are people trapped inside. There is wreckage on 91st Street, with FDNY and other emergency responder going through the rubble. The crane was located at a new construction site. more ›

Tomorrow marks the start of Construction Safety Week in New York City, less than a week after Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster resigned her position at the Dept. of Buildings. Lancaster admitted to the City Council that the plans for a 43 story tower in Turtle Bay, Manhattan did not meet zoning regulations but were approved anyway. more ›

During a press conference yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg said, "I don’t think anybody should be fully satisfied with the Department of Buildings’ performance. Whether somebody could have done a better job — I’m trying to — whether they could have done a better job I just don’t know." more ›

Two cats living in an apartment completely destroyed by the Midtown crane collapse have been found and reunited with their owners. The recovery of Mr. Gloves and Gooksie was in no small part due to the efforts of Gini Otway, a neighbor who also volunteers at the animal rescue and adoption organization City Critters. more ›

In an attempt to prevent another deadly crane accident, the city's Department of Buildings announced changes yesterday to keep construction "sites safe." The agency laid out several new regulations requiring oversight by city inspectors or a project engineer. Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster said that the new rules are "something that should have been happening" before. more ›