[Photo via Flickr/EKavet]
There have been many headlines and follow-up reports in the wake of the Upper East Side crane collapse on 91st Street that killed two construction workers and seriously injured another, but the biggest one could be that the Manhattan district attorney's office has opened a criminal investigation into the matter. The Times reports that the crane's turntable?which connects the cab and boom to the crane tower and allows for the 360-degree movement?may have been damaged last year and then inappropriately put back into service. Meanwhile, the use of Kodiak cranes has been suspended in the city, putting the brakes on four other high-profile jobs: 245 Tenth Avenue, W Hotel & Residences, The Laurel and?ouch?808 Columbus Avenue.
Acting DOB Commissioner Robert LiMandri held an emergency meeting on Saturday with 79 members of the construction and development communities, where discussion centered on how to make job sites safer. Reports also indicate that LiMandri was talking tough, indicating that one more crane accident could lead to a city-wide construction shutdown. And at the scene of the accident itself, the residents of 354 East 91st Street?the 23-story building damaged in the collapse?are hoping they can return to their apartments as early as today, but that's probably a longshot.
· Some Construction Is Halted After Fatal Crane Collapse [NYT]
· Crane Collapses Prompt Questions on the Mayor’s Oversight [NYT]
· Evacuees Worry and Hope for Return to Normalcy [NYT]
· City's Dirty Little Secret is Why It's On the Defensive [NYP]
· Questions Surround Crane Accident [Sun]
· Crane victim's last words to fiancee: 'I love you' [NYDN]
· Diligent hardhat spotted gaping split on rig 'ready for accident' last year [NYDN]
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