MAY 31, 2015
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK
An industrial air conditioner being hoisted by a crane to
the top of a Midtown Manhattan building Sunday morning plummeted about 28
stories after a cable snapped and 10 people were injured by falling debris,
authorities said.
The AC unit sheared the side of the 30-story building on
Madison Avenue between East 38th and East 39th Street before landing on the
street below at around 10:45 a.m., according to police.
Two construction workers and eight pedestrians suffered
minor injuries from falling debris, officials said. They were treated at local
hospitals.
"It was like a train car fell off the side of the
building," said Meredith Kelly, a tourist from Atlanta who was walking
nearby at the time of the accident.
Mayor de Blasio said the city would undertake a full
investigation to determine exactly what caused the accident.
"Thank God this incident occurred at an hour of the day
on a weekend when there weren't too many people around," the mayor said.
Buildings Department Commissioner Rick Chandler said it was
typical for work to be done on weekends when equipment, such as a crane, is
being used. He said all the needed permits for the work involving the crane
were "in place," and there had been no official complaints about the
crane.
"We think this device, in this preliminary stage, is in
good state and we'll follow up with that," Chandler said.
Streets in the vicinity were closed to traffic and city
buses were being detoured from routes in the area.