Crane drops huge air conditioning unit down 30 stories in Midtown, damaging building and injuring..

nydailynews.com ^ | May 31, 2015 | Greg B. Smith , Edgar Sandoval , Keldy Ortiz , Caitlin Nolan , Stephen Rex Brown

[PROCON]

A crane hauling an air conditioner into the top floor of a 30-story building dropped the heavy load Sunday morning, smashing parts of the building and injuring 10 people.

Workers were loading the shipping container-sized machine into 261 Madison Ave. when a rigging strap holding the air conditioner broke, a city official familiar with the ongoing investigation told the Daily News.

The chiller sheered the building as it fell. Debris rained down on Madison Ave. around E. 38th St.

Part of the 30-story building's facade near the roof was bashed open.

[PROCON]

Um, boss, do I still have my job?

[Forty-Niner]

Been there done that. Next time use a Sky Crane!

[Talisker]

Wow, miracle no one was killed.

And who lifts something like that without multiple independent failsafe attachment points?

You can’t cross the street without going to a crosswalk and pushing the damn button and getting permission without risking a ticket, but it’s perfectly okay to haul a multiton AC unit up thirty stories hanging from a single strap?

[EBH]

when a rigging strap holding the air conditioner broke

Missed inspection?

Bad strap?

Improper rigging for load type?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

That could’ve been really, REALLY bad! Yikes!

Have they ruled out Terrorism, yet? *SMIRK*

[FrdmLvr]

Kramer did that once in Jerry’s apartment.

[PA-RIVER]

Bushes fault.

[miss marmelstein]

A lot of the buildings in the area are pre-war but still: no elevator available?

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I wonder what the building owner is going to say in his email to the tenants.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Butterfingers.

[mylife]

[PROCON]

Ah yes, the Commando 8.

[Scrambler Bob]

Friend of mine, crane operator, refused to do a lift due to a frayed cable. He was begged and excoriated, but still refused.

This meant that the job would have to be extended into the next day, instead of just ‘finishing it now’. Long drive back to the base, and repeat the next day. More time and more cost.

Maybe he avoided this kind of ‘problem’. But was not appreciated for it.

[ladyjane]

Are you blonde?

[moviefan8]

Oops.

What happened isn’t a resume enhancer.

Well, I guess that company will lose a lot of business.

It could have been worse.

Hopefully the company’s insurance can cover it.

[Jane Long]

Dang, how in the world did the Unionized, over-permitted workers mess this one up so bad?

You can't hang a window awning, in that city, without several union groups involved and numerous permits filed....for safety.

[PROCON]

All right ladies, break it up :-)

[ClearCase_guy]

I blame Global Warming for this.

[Blennos]

A lot of the buildings in the area are pre-war but still: no elevator available?

These units can be huge, much too big to fit into an elevator much less get through the doors.

[ladyjane]

LOL - but I like blondes. I’m a blonde.