Busted Nylon Sling Eyed in Deadly NYC Tower Crane Accident

March 19, 2008 • According to developing news reports, investigators are examining a nylon sling that appears to have broken as crews were jumping a luffing-jib tower crane, resulting in a deadly crane accident last Saturday in New York, N.Y. A heavy steel collar fell down the mast and dropped another collar on the way down as the crane's mast toppled, resulting in deaths of seven people and the damage to or destruction of several high-rise buildings.

Saturday, the bodies of crane operator Wayne Bleidner, 51, Pelham, N.Y.; and construction workers Brad Cohen, 54, of Farmingdale; Anthony Mazza, 39; and Aaron Stephens, 45, of New York City, were recovered. The remains of two more construction workers were recovered Monday from the rubble • Santino “Santy” Gallone, 37, of Huntington Station, and Clifford “Cliffy” Canzona, 45, of Long Island. The body of Odin Torres, 28, Hialeah, Fla., was also found Monday; she was visiting New York City for St. Patrick's Day.

That same day, according to news reports, workers dismantled the base of the crane's tower, which came to rest against a 19-story apartment house. New York City Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster also promised new inspections of some 250 cranes in operation at construction sites throughout the city.

Source: The New York Times