[imagesource:twitter]
A cyclist got away within an inch of his life when a construction crane caught on fire and smashed into a building in Manhattan, sending debris into the streets below.
The incident occurred Wednesday morning at 550 Tenth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen with videos of the scene spreading like wildfire on social media.
The cab of the crane was suddenly engulfed in flames, which caused the crane to collapse and strike a nearby building, flinging remnants to the ground as cars, pedestrians, and cyclists dodged out of the way.
Per Intelligencer, 11 people, including two firefighters, sustained non-life-threatening injuries from the debris.
Just watched a crane fall and pummel a building on the other side of the block! #nyc #fire pic.twitter.com/YFyaurRglN
— Jimmy
(@jimmy_farring) July 26, 2023
CRANE FIRE AND PARTIAL COLLAPSE: another angle of tower crane jib toppling in Hells Kitchen, striking apartment tower at 555 Tenth Ave. pic.twitter.com/wZFzUgIRin
— Tony Aiello (@AielloTV) July 26, 2023
The FDNY and NYPD rushed to the scene. Here’s First Deputy Fire Commissioner Joseph Pfeifer:
“As our fire units responded to the scene, we had a collapse. The top part of the crane, the boom, and a 16-ton load crashed to the ground. At that point, we had injuries to civilians and firefighters, but they were minor,” Pfeifer said at a press conference later that morning.
WATCH: Crane arm catches fire, collapses onto New York City — Footage captured from a very close angle
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) July 26, 2023
Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged that the accident “could have been much worse” had it occurred at a busier time of day.
A construction crane partially collapsed in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, injuring six people, New York City officials said. Four civilians and two firefighters received minor injuries when the crane on 10th Avenue collapsed, officials said. https://t.co/wO5CR98uoj pic.twitter.com/ClnLyo7JV4
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 26, 2023
Apparently, the crane operator, New Jersey’s Lomma Crane & Rigging, has a troubled past. Once, in 2008, a crane owned by the company collapsed on the Upper East Side and killed two workers. Lomma ended up paying $35 million to the dead workers’ families, and New York City temporarily pulled its license.
FDNY units are currently operating at a crane collapse and fire at 550 Tenth Avenue in Manhattan. Please avoid the area of 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue from West 41 Street to West 42 Street. Please use alternate routes and expect traffic in the area. pic.twitter.com/lEc03WwnWd
— NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) July 26, 2023
At least nobody died this time.
[source:intelligencer]
