Construction Crane Snaps on Washington Street

By Nick Pinto
POSTED FEBRUARY 1, 2008

Construction on the 15-story residential building going up at 450 Washington Street came to a crashing halt on the afternoon of Feb. 1 after a massive crane snapped in half, littering the ground with debris and sending workers scurrying for safety.

Though damaged, the bulk of the crane remained aloft, like a broken twig sticking into the air.

The Buildings Department ordered the crane operator to dismantle the crane, but on Saturday evening, two workers were injured while trying to load the crane’s mast into a truck when the heel of the crane swung down, hitting one in the back and the other in the leg. Both men were taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital.

Police and firefighters rushed to the scene Friday, swarming to restrict public access to the site in case more of the crane fell to earth.

A preliminary investigation by the Buildings Department suggests the crane’s 200-foot boom snapped and doubled over on itself while attempting to lift a load of lumber that was too heavy for the crane’s capacity.

The Buildings Department issued a partial stop work order on the site, The crane operator is expected to be issued a violation for unsafe operation of the crane.

The site is being developed by the Jack Parker Corporation, which came before the Community Board in 2006 to seek a contentious rezoning of the area to increase allowed building height.

Karl Sutherland was working nearby at Integrated Studios, where he is the general manager, when he heard a sharp crack.

“I looked out the window and the crane was slowly coming down,” Sutherland said. “All the workers on the site were running away as it fell. One guy who was closest to getting hit started kissing the ground when the crane missed him.”

Tim Kohchi, a metal worker and furniture maker who works at 450 Greenwich street, said pieces of the crane littered the streets nearly a block away after the crane fell.

“I’ve seen them doing very irresponsible things with this crane,” Kohchi said. “Lifting whole Dumpsters with it, lifting two pallets of loose materials. Something like this was going to happen.”

Kohchi said he is dismayed by this latest in a string of recent construction accidents downtown.

“Everyone’s rushing to get their buildings up before the market collapses,” he said. “So instead, we have cranes collapsing.”

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