Mar 19, 2008 6:56 am US/Eastern
Faulty $50 Cord May Have Caused Crane Collapse
Many East Side Residents To Be Allowed Back Home Wednesday
Reporting
Jay Dow
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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A massive crane has collapsed at a New York construction site, CBS station WCBS-TV reported Saturday.
CBS
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A massive crane collapses at a New York construction site, trapping several people in a building. Two people are dead and multiple injuries are being reported.
Eric Yang/CBS
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Rescue crews are searching for survivors amid the rubble of a New York City building collapse. Four people are dead, several are injured and several are reported missing.
CBS
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A section of a collapsed crane protrudes from a crushed building on 50th Street near Second Avenue Saturday, March 15, 2008, in New York City. The giant crane toppled over at a construction site and smashed into a block of East Side residential buildings.
Jason DeCrow/AP
While life is slowly returning to normal for residents impacted by last weekend's deadly crane collapse on the East Side, investigators have just begun trying to figure out exactly what lead up to the tragic accident.
The collapsed crane which once towered high above the neighborhood has been shipped off to a forensics lab, but the damage left in its wake spans an entire block.
Now investigators are said to be focusing on whether a simple $50 nylon cord was the weak link.
The cord was used to help assemble the anchors which were supposed to secure the crane to the side of the building under construction.
Investigators will determine if the chord was frayed, or if it ripped apart under the extreme stress of the collapse.
"The Department of Buildings and the police department will take control of it, " said Joseph Bruno, OEM Commissioner. "They will store it, they'll be using some forensic scientists to take a look at what occurred here, and try to determine what the cause of this accident was."
Now that we can have a closer look at the scene, a better understanding of how devastating Saturday afternoon was for the people who lived in the damaged buildings is possible. Residents say they are truly lucky to be alive.
"We were blessed," Pat Sorenson told CBS 2 HD. "I was standing in my bedroom window watching the crane come towards me. It landed on my bedroom and my neighbor's living room wall."
There is good news for many East Side residents - 7 buildings should be reopened to tenants by later today.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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