Construction Accident: NYC Crane Accident Leaves 1 Dead, 4 Injured

New York — Authorities are reporting that two large pieces of a 170-foot crane came crashing down at a Manhattan construction site Tuesday, killing one worker and injuring four others.
The New York Daily News said one section was 80 feet long and the other was 40 feet long.

“It came down like a dinosaur,” said a worker from the construction site who was waiting at Bellevue Hospital Center, where at least one victim was being treated.

CNN writes the accident occurred just before 7:30 p.m. at an MTA train extension project work site at West 34th Street and 11th Avenue.

“It started to vibrate — you just see the metals snap one by one. It shook the whole area,” David Tobin, 15, who witnessed the collapse as he walked by with his friends, explained. “It started to fall down. It was crazy. The metals just snapped.

“People started to run away. Some people were facing back [and] a few of them got clipped.”

The man who died, identified as 29-year-old Michael Simmermeyer, was pulled from the pit that sits 60 feet below street level at W. 34th St. and 11th Ave., the FDNY said. He went into cardiac arrest on the way to Bellevue Hospital where he died.

While the cause of the tragic crane collapse is not yet known authorities are investigating an issue with the rear of the machine. Fire Chief William Seelig said that the department was told that a cable had snapped.

“On behalf of the entire M.T.A., we pray for the recovery of the workers injured as a result of this tragic accident tonight,” the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a statement. “We will work together with all proper authorities to conduct a thorough investigation on the circumstances behind this unfortunate incident.”