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Photos Show Fatal Crane Collapse Rescue Effort At 7 Extension Site
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 4, 2012
Modified Apr 4, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 4, 2012
Modified Apr 4, 2012
Share
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The worker killed in last night's massive crane collapse at the 7 train extension site has been identified. After making sure his family was notified, the NYPD identified the worker as Michael Simmermeyer, 30, from Burlington, New Jersey. He was pronounced DOA at Bellevue Hospital. Another worker whose leg was injured was also taken to Bellevue—he's listed in stable condition. Two other workers sustained minor injuries.
The other victims were a crane operator, a flag man and a relative of one of the victims, according to the NY Times. It's still not known what caused the collapse of the 170-foot-high crane, but an unidentified MTA official tells the paper, "They’re looking at some kind of failure in the rear of the crane." One worker at Bellevue said it came down "like a dinosaur." And a retired NYPD detective at the scene said, "The top part of the crane was lying on the upper part of the construction project. Something cracked that steel arm."
According to the AP, the crane was set up on the second of three levels on the construction site on Manhattan's West Side. The injured workers were down in a 60-foot pit, which made the rescue operation especially precarious. One worker told the AP it was "extremely dangerous" trying to get the victims out, because "we had construction material that wasn't stable." On the sidewalk, one construction worker collapsed in tears into the arms of another worker, and the AP reports another could be heard saying: "I can't take it."
Tagged
7 train
crane collapse
fatal crane collapse
midtown
MTA
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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