Loaded Boom of Burning Tower Crane Collapses in Manhattan, Injuring Six

Adaptive reuse project in Seattle is paving the way for the use of innovative building materials and systems that drastically cut the embodied carbon associated with construction.Photo by Don Davies

This piece was first published on July 26 on ENR.com.

The boom of a tower crane, with its engine on fire, collapsed July 26 at a high-rise construction site in Manhattan—hitting the face of the building across the street as it dropped its 16-ton load. City officials said they would investigate the mishap, which caused minor injuries to two firefighters and four others.

At a press conference, Jimmy Oddo, commissioner of the New York City Dept. of Buildings, said the 47-story residential project was fully permitted. He added that DOB will hire an engineer to conduct an independent assessment of the cause, similar to the inquiry into the cause of a parking garage collapse in Manhattan’s Financial District earlier this year. DOB also is checking the structural integrity of the damaged building and others in the area.

Read more from James Leggate at RECORD's sister site, ENR.com.