Dec 14, 2007 2:15 pm US/Central
Crane Accident Near Ground Zero Injures 1
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A crane dropped seven tons of steel Friday onto a trailer
where an investment banking company is building a tower across the street from
ground zero, injuring an architect working inside, officials said.
The nylon sling that was carrying the materials - 25- to 30-foot-long pieces of
galvanized steel - "appears to have snapped," Buildings Commissioner
Patricia Lancaster said Friday. The sling's broken straps were hanging from the
crane after the 10:50 a.m. accident outside the future world headquarters of
Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Witnesses told CBS station WCBS-TV in New York the cable or harness hauling the
load snapped, causing the rods to tumble, and reported hearing a loud
"boom" when they hit the trailer
The crane was lifting the materials to the 13th floor of the building, which
now stands 30 stories high, said Richard Kielar, spokesman for the tower's
builder, Tishman Construction Corp. The metal studs were to be used to build
shaft walls at the skyscraper's core.
The sling was carrying a 14,000-pound load and is designed to carry 19,000
pounds, according to the city Buildings Department, which issued a stop-work
order for crane operations at the site.
The architect working in the office trailer was taken to a nearby hospital in
serious condition, fire officials said. Tishman officials declined to release
his name or identify the firm where he worked.
The $2 billion tower, just across the street from the signature Freedom Tower
being built to replace the World Trade Center,
was considered a crucial anchor to the redevelopment of downtown Manhattan after the 2001
terrorist attacks.
After agreeing to become the first major firm to relocate its world
headquarters near the site, the bank changed its mind, saying it had security
concerns about a tunnel that was to be built at ground zero which would face
it.
In 2005, state and city officials agreed to pay Goldman Sachs $1.65 billion in
tax-exempt Liberty Bonds and offered millions in other incentives for the
firm's commitment to move downtown. Politicians later said they would never
offer as lucrative a deal again for companies seeking to move downtown, but
that the Goldman Sachs deal was warranted because the company inspired
confidence in the area.
The planned 43-story tower is expected to house 9,000 of the company's
employees when it opens in 2009.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
