On March 15, 2008, a towering construction crane fell from East 51st Street and 2nd Avenue, across East 51st, with the top section crashing onto a townhouse on East 50th Street. The collapse killed seven people; one survivor, a resident of the East 50th Street, testified in the trial of the crane's rigging contractor. John Gallego said, "I hear something like breaking, like when a train, let’s say a train is crashing. I look up through the window and I see a huge thing coming down." He was buried alive for four hours, "It was so quiet at one point that I was thinking I was dead." more ›

As the Department of Buildings, Manhattan DA's office, and OSHA investigate the fatal May 30 crane collapse at East 91st Street and First Avenue, the crane's history continues to be a focus. more ›

Yesterday, the assistant chief inspector for cranes was arrested and charged with accepting bribes "to falsify inspection reports and overlook unqualified operators." Upon leaving court, James Delayo, 60, who is a 26-year veteran of the Department of Buildings, did not respond to when a street sweeper asked him "if he felt responsible" for the fatal crane collapses in recent months. more ›