May 30, 2008 11:51 pm US/Eastern
NYC Residents Angry, Scared After Latest Collapse
City Councilman Calls For All Construction Work To Be Halted Across City
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Witnesses reported hearing four loud "pops" before a crane collapsed on Manhattan's Upper East Side on May 30, 2008.
Anthony Behar/Getty Images
There are calls for drastic changes in construction inspections and procedures in New York City coming from concerned residents and outraged city officials following Friday morning's deadly crane collapse.
The collapse was the second fatal accident of its kind in Manhattan in nearly three months, and many are questioning the stability of other cranes erected smack in the middle of city hustle and bustle.
"This is such a travesty of epic proportion, this is now creating a sense of urgency that perhaps we have never seen before," said Manhattan borough President Scott Stringer. "Let's admit that we have a crisis and we're not doing well managing the crisis."
That crisis moved front and center following the March 15 collapse that left seven people dead. A city inspector was arrested in the investigation afterward for falsifying records from an inspection he never actually attended. Days later, then-Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster resigned amid increasing criticism about her department's performance.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who called the collapse "intolerable" and "unacceptable," insisted the Buildings Department had been performing at the best of its ability and downplayed any scrutiny surrounding its operations and practices.
But residents aren't convinced.
"Everybody is absolutely, positively disgusted with this city," said Mary Jo Gillis, a witness who lives near the site of Friday's collapse. "What I saw was just absolute destruction. This is something that really has to be addressed."
Another female witness reported the crane appeared to be shaking and making strange noises on Thursday afternoon. She told CBS 2 she thought to herself that it's only a matter of time before something happens.
Twelve hours later the crane collapsed.
City Councilman Tony Avella, who works on the city's Buildings Committee and had called for Lancaster's resignation following the first collapse, said Bloomberg shares in the blame for the latest tragedy.
"Construction of buildings is out of control in this city. How many people have to die before the mayor decides enough is enough?" he said. "Every crane operation in the city needs to be shut down in the city at this point until it's fully inspected."
Stringer said he felt both the mayor and the Buildings Department shouldn't be at fault, but agreed more needed to be done.
"People felt very safe when the emergency medical services showed up today, but I know that our constituents want this stopped," he said. "They're demanding, they're angry, they're scared. People don't want to be anywhere near a scaffolding, they'd rather run for their lives and that's not good for the city."
What will happen from here on out remains to be seen, but there's no doubt that top city officials will meet and work feverishly in the coming days to come up with some kind of solution that will make residents feel safe, while ensuring that all construction work practices are performed properly.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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