Six Injured in NYC Crane Accident

Oct. 17, 2007
The debris and the contents of the skid box fell to the street level, striking a storage unit.

Six people suffered minor injuries after a crane filled with construction material struck a Midtown Manhattan building and spilled debris down on the street Wednesday.

The Fire Department says that the accident happened at 1 p.m. at One Bryant Park, the site of the Bank of America Tower currently under construction at 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue.

Officials say the crane was lowering the construction material from the 53rd floor to the ground by a hoist system. While passing the 42nd floor, the skid box reportedly hit the facade of the building, a 54-story crystalline skyscraper scheduled to open in 2008 that will serve as Bank of America's headquarters.

The debris and the contents of the bucket then fell to the street level, striking a storage unit.

The cause of the incident has not been determined, but it is believed to be operator error and not mechanical failure.

Sxith Avenue traffic is being diverted at 34th Street, and 42nd Street is closed to pedestrian traffic from Seventh Avenue to Fifth Avenue. It is also closed to vehicles between Fifth and Sixth avenues. Sixth Avenue is closed to all traffic from 40th Street to 44th Street.

Republished with permission of WABC-TV.

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