Two workers were killed during a construction accident in Manhattan on May 30^th. 30-year-old Donald C. Leo and Ramadan Kurtaj, 27, were killed when a crane crashed into a 23-story apartment building at 354 East 91^st Street, damaging 45 out of 169 apartments. New York Crane and Equipment Corporation owned the Kodiak crane that collapsed, along with six others that were being used at various locations throughout the city. Work has been halted at the other sites as the accident is investigated and inspections are done on the other cranes.  

A damaged portion of a crane was removed from a construction site last year, and investigations are being done to see if the piece was inadequately repaired and put back into service at the East 91^st Street site. The damaged piece was a rotating turntable that connects the operator’s cab and the boom to the crane tower. It is being determined if the Buildings Department instructed New York Crane to dispose of the damaged turntable or if repairs were ordered and done correctly. The owner of New York Crane claims to have proof that the crane was sufficiently repaired. This is not the first accident involving a crane; seven people were killed when a crane collapsed on East 51^st Street in March.

If you reside in the San Diego area and have been seriously injured, contact the law firm of Estey & Bomberger.