May 30, 2008 11:49 pm US/Eastern
Co-workers, Neighbors Reflect On Fallen Brother
At Least 1 Other Construction Worker Critically Injured In Second Collapse In Nearly 3 Months
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Donald Leo, 30, was killed in the Upper East Side crane collapse on May 30, 2008.
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A construction crane collapsed Friday on New York's Upper East Side, smashing into a high-rise apartment building.
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A firefighter digs through wreckage following a crane collapse on May 30, 2008 in New York City.
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A gash in a building under construction is visible following a crane collapse on May 30, 2008 in New York City.
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Portions of the crane skewer the New York City street following a collapse on May 30, 2008 in New York City.
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A wrecked penthouse apartment following a crane collapse on May 30, 2008 in New York City.
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A heap of rubble lies on 91st Street and 1st Avenue in New York City on May 30, 2008 after a crane collapsed.
CBS
Friday morning's tragic crane collapse claimed the lives of two construction workers. The medical examiner has identified them as Ramadan Kurtij and Donald Leo. A third worker remains in critical condition.
The crane operator - Don Leo - the man who sits in the cab, bending a mighty piece of equipment to his will and to the needs of a building under construction, was killed in front of co-workers like Andy Alvarez.
"He came down with the tower, his compartment's in the tower. He basically just rode the whole trip down inside the tower," said Alvarez.
Some workers told CBS 2's Pablo Guzman that Leo's father, also a construction veteran, was on the job; but as he left his house after his son's death, he told reporters no one wanted to talk. The young man was said to be married in a couple of weeks. Father Brian Jordan knew him well:
"This young man was full of promise and full of talent. May God's blessing be upon his family and his local union," said Father Jordan.
Don Leo's fiancee and other family friends came and went from his parent's house all day.
"I was shocked. For someone so young. That's what gets me, so young," said neighbor Gene Boitano.
The way the crane came apart and sliced through a nearby building before crashing to the ground, it's miraculous more people in apartments or on the ground weren't hurt. Andy Alvarez and others tried to help.
"We all ran down after it collapsed. And we see one of the guys pinned under the towers," said Alvarez, later adding, "we tried getting him out but he was pinned so we just tried to comfort him the best we could."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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