FDNY: 1 Dead Following Crane Accident In Midtown
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – One person is dead after a boom-crane accident in Midtown Friday, fire officials say.
A stopwork order has been issued for 219 E. 44th St. after a truck operator unloading a flatbed was crushed before noon, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported.
"The victim was caught between the knuckle boom and the flatbed itself, we were able to mechanically raise the boom with our jacks and take him out," Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Carlsen said.
FDNY: 1 Dead Following Crane Accident In Midtown
The 40-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police officers and fire crews hung up sheets to guard the public's eyes from the scene, WCBS 880's Jim Smith reported.
FDNY: 1 Dead Following Crane Accident In Midtown
The cause of the accident isn't immediately clear.
The Department of Buildings is investigating the incident.
"This is not a building that has had significant problems over time," City Councilman Dan Garodnick said.
PHOTOS: Midtown Crane Accident
Motorists in the area are advised to take an alternate route as crews investigate.
FDNY: 1 Dead Following Crane Accident In Midtown
An alarming new report was issued earlier this week regarding construction site safety in New York City.
Statistics from the Department of Buildings showed 18 construction accidents last year involving pedestrians — the highest rate since 2008, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"We're only in April this year and we've seen several deaths at construction sites," Joe Anuta, a reporter covering residential real estate for Crain's New York Business, told WCBS 880. "It hasn't been great for pedestrians either."
