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Crane Operator's License Suspended Over Partial Collapse
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 29, 2010
Modified Mar 29, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 29, 2010
Modified Mar 29, 2010
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After a 250-foot crane partially collapsed and ended up leaning against a Financial Street building on Saturday night, the Department of Buildings has suspended the license of the crane operator. A DOB spokesman said that Christopher Cosban "failed to leave the equipment in the safest position possible" when he left the work site. Um, can all other crane operators PLEASE leave equipment in the safest position possible before you head home?
The crane was set up in a plaza across from 80 Maiden Lane and was being used to move AC units at the building. When the crane partially collapsed, residents from five buildings—80, 83, 90, and 100 Maiden Lane and 2 Gold Street—were evacuated as the authorities examined the crane. And the cops really didn't want anyone in the area—reader Adrian Hopkins sent us this video:
Residents were allowed to return after the crane was removed. The NY Times adds, "Investigators said Mr. Cosban’s lapse — he did not lower the boom as far as it could go — contributed to the accident but might not have been the sole cause. They said that they were looking into whether mechanical failure was a factor and that they might issue further citations." And OSHA is also investigating; they tell the Daily News, "We are looking at its mechanical operation, how it was set up and how it was operated."
Fun fact: 80 Maiden Lane houses the offices of the Department of Investigations, the agency that investigates corruption, including that of buildings officials like James Delayo, who pleaded guilty to taking bribes while he was a cranes inspector. A DOI spokesperson told the Times, "The irony of this crane collapse is not lost on D.O.I. Logistically, D.O.I. won’t have to go far to gather the facts."
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80 Maiden Lane
crane
crane collapse
department of buildings
financial district
partially collapsed crane
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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