New York Personal Injury News & NYC Legal Current Events

Crane Company Owner Faces Manslaughter Charges In NYC Crane Tragedy

The crane company involved in both of the fatal New York City crane collapses of 2008 has been charged in one of the two construction site accidents this week. The owner of New York Crane and Equipment Corporation, James Lomma, has been charged with manslaughter regarding the 91st Street crane collapse that took place in May of 2008. More charges, this time for an employee of the crane company and for the company itself are expected soon.

Two Manhattan construction workers were killed after the crane toppled over. Months before the fatal NYC construction accident took place, the crane had been struck by lightening and required major maintenance. While the company received a number of offers to fix the crane, it ultimately went with a Chinese company who underbid considerably but who sent an email saying that they weren’t sure if they had the skill or equipment to successfully fix the crane.

In the other fatal crane collapse, which also involved James Lomma and his crane company, seven people were killed when a crane malfunctioned on East 51st Street. In that construction site accident, a rigging contractor was charged with manslaughter and a city inspector resigned after being charged with falsifying inspector paperwork and with accepting bribes from crane companies.

While these two construction accidents were extremely tragic, they have, the city says, improved safety guidelines and crane inspections. Since the two NYC crane accidents, there has not been a major crane malfunction in the city.

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