The 2008 Manhattan crane collapse occurred on 15 March 2008, when a crane collapsed during construction of the 303 East 51st Street skyscraper in New York City.[1][2]
| 2008 Manhattan crane collapse | |
|---|---|
 303 East 51st Street skyscraper | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | March 15, 2008 14:30 |
| Location | East 51st Street and Second Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°45′25″N 73°58′06″W / 40.75694°N 73.96833°W |
| Country | United States |
| Line | Construction site (303 East 51st Street residential tower) |
| Operator | New York Crane & Equipment |
| Incident type | Tower crane collapse |
| Cause | Failure of stabilizing collar during crane jumping operation |
| Statistics | |
| Vehicles | 1 crane |
| Deaths | 7 |
| Injured | 24 |
| Damage | Crane collapse onto construction site and nearby building |
History
editOn 15 March 2008, a crane owned by New York Crane & Equipment collapsed during construction. It was a luffing-jib tower crane manufactured by Favco that was 200 feet (61 m) tall at the time of the collapse. The accident happened while workers were installing a new steel collar to secure the crane to the building at the 18th floor during an operation to raise its height.[1]
Seven people were killed and 24 others were injured. The accidents drew significant public attention due to the scale of damage in densely populated residential areas. They triggered emergency investigations and led to stricter construction crane safety regulations and enforcement measures in New York City.[3]
Impact
editTwo months later, on 30 May 2008, another crane collapsed on 91st Street in New York City, killing two workers.[4][5]
Both crane collapses, occurred in New York City in 2008, prompted a comprehensive overhaul of the city's crane safety regulations, including new inspection requirements, stricter permitting procedures, and enhanced oversight of tower crane operations.[4][6][7]
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 McFadden, Robert D. (16 March 2008). "Crane Collapses on Manhattan's East Side, Killing 4" – via NYTimes.com.
- ↑ "Investigation of the March 15, 2008 Fatal Tower Crane Collapse at 303 East 51st Street, New York, NY" (PDF). Occupational Safety and Health Administration. September 2008.
- ↑ Donlevy, Katherine (27 July 2023). "Operator of NYC crane collapse was involved in 2008 fatal accident". New York Post.
- 1 2 "Key Fixes Never Made After 2008 NYC Crane Falls: Audit". NBC New York. 10 November 2014.
- ↑ "2 workers die in N.Y. City crane collapse". NBC News. 30 May 2008.
- ↑ "Council Votes on Comprehensive Crane Safety Legislation" (Press release). 4 September 2008.
- ↑ To amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to tower and climber cranes and to licensed riggers (PDF) (Local Law). New York City Council. 22 September 2008.