The tower crane that collapsed on a Manhattan street on Friday morning and killed a pedestrian is owned and operated by firms based in Queens, according to the mayor’s office.
Long Island City’s Bay Crane owned the huge rigging device operated by Maspeth’s Galasso Trucking and Rigging Inc. that fell onto Worth Street in the TriBeCa section of Manhattan at 8:24 a.m. Friday.
The mayor’s office indicated that workers were moving the crane into a secure position when the accident happened. This was done, sources said, because winds were approaching 25 mph in the middle of this morning’s snowstorm.
The collapse claimed the life of a Manhattan resident; three others suffered injuries. No buildings suffered structural damage.
According to the Mayor’s office, the crane first went into operation at the location on Jan. 30 “to replace generators and air conditioners on the building roof.” Buildings Department inspectors checked the crane at 6:20 a.m. Thursday morning “and found it to be in full compliance,” it was noted.
The investigation is ongoing.
QNS reached out to both Bay Crane and Galasso Trucking and is awaiting responses. On their websites, both companies noted their more than 60 years of service in the construction and logistics industries.
