More than two years ago, our client Rebecca Wichs lost her husband in a crane accident in downtown Manhattan. David Wichs was crossing the street when he was fatally struck by a collapsing crane. That day, despite heavy snow and winds, the City didn’t order crane operators to lower and…
Articles Posted in Crane Accidents
OSHA delays crane operator certifications
To reduce the number of crane accidents, OSHA has been working on a new rule that would require crane operators to be certified. The certification requirement was supposed to come into effect on November 10th 2017. However one day before, on November 9th, OSHA published a Final Rule postponing this…
OSHA wants to delay crane operator rule to November 2018
Despite multiple past crane accidents that have proven that crane operators needed to be trained and certified, OSHA one more time wants to delay the effective date of its new crane operator requirement. The original planned date was in 2014. This extension follows President Trump’s directive that all federal agencies…
Two Construction Workers Killed in New York City Crane Accident
A crane operator and a construction worker were killed Tuesday when a 6,500-pound beam came crashing down at a Queens construction site, authorities said. A preliminary investigation determined that the incident, which took place shortly after 12 p.m. in the Briarwood neighborhood, was the result of a “material failure” with…
Crane accident at 3 World Trade Center NYC
Thankfully nobody was injured in a New York crane accident last Thursday. Construction workers at the WTC site were pulling the unloaded line and hook of a crane standing on the top of a building under construction when the accident happened. The workers had been instructed to do so as…
Four people injured in NY crane accident
4 people were injured in a crane accident in New York. A giant crane collapsed on Tuesday around noon on the Tappan Zee bridge landing on the 8 lanes of the highway (see video). It is a miracle that no vehicle were struck by the crane and nobody was killed…
How to better prevent crane accidents in New York?
Following the fatal collapse of a crane in lower Manhattan last February, Mayor de Blasio and NYC building commissioner Rick Chandler created the Crane Safety Technical Working Group. The mission of this independent group of experts was to assess actual New York crane safety regulations and provide a set of recommendations…
Notice of Claim filed against City of New York for $600M in Crane accident that killed David Wichs
The widow of David Wichs who was killed by a crane that collapsed on a New York Street (see previous post) is intending to sue the City for $600M. Rebecca Wichs who is represented by our partner, New York crane accident attorney Howard Hershenhorn, filed a notice of claim last…
Stop work and violation issued at New York construction site after crane accident
A hydraulic crane crashed into a building in New York yesterday. The accident occurred at 133 Essex Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Witnesses living in the neighborhood told the NY Daily News that they had been worrying about the crane for a few days. They mentioned…
To prevent fatal construction accidents in New York such as last week’s crane accident, Mayor de Blasio announces increased inspections of construction sites and higher penalties for safety hazards
A week after a man died in a crane collapse in New York, the Mayor announced that the city will kick off a massive inspection blitz of construction sites and quadruple penalties for serious violations of safety on construction sites. The construction boom in the city has led to a dramatic…