Friday, May 30, 2008 by Howard Andrew Raphaelson
The City of New York is failing its citizens. Yet another crane has collapsed at a New York City construction site (see video of the aftermath here). Collapsing cranes in New York city have become not only a pattern but, sadly, an almost monthly occurrence. As New York City construction accident lawyers who have dealt with this many times, we know what this boils down to: the safety of New Yorkers must come before the profits of the New York City construction companies.
A Federal Task Force, independent and separate from the City of New York and the Department of Buildings, must be organized immediately. New Yorker’s safety and lives depend on it.
The organization must be private and apart from the City of New York as cranes have continued to crash to the ground on the City’s ‘watch.’ This task force should be responsible for hiring independent inspectors that can inspect every construction site and make recommendations to the city regarding those sites. This will allow New Yorkers to safely walk the streets with confidence and make the City of New York accountable to its citizens.
