The tower crane, owned by New York Crane and Equipment Corp., was hoisting concrete to the 36th story of a luxury high-rise when a fire broke out in the machine's cab, officials said. The flames burned through a cable holding the crane's arm in place, sending the 180-foot-long boom crashing to the ground.
Later that year, a construction worker fell to his death while helping dismantle a crane owned by a different company. One of the two crane operators, whose license was suspended for eight months, was Chris Van Duyne. The same man was operating the crane that caught fire Wednesday, officials said.The fire's cause is still under investigation. In the meantime, neither the crane company nor its operator have been publicly accused of wrongdoing.
Following the consecutive collapses 15 years ago, New York adopted a series of stringent crane requirements that go beyond those of other states, according to industry experts. Founded by James Lomma -- known locally as the "King of Cranes" -- New York Crane and Equipment Corp. has long been one of the city's top crane providers, helping to build the Hudson Yards development and the new World Trade Center.In March of 2008, one of the company's cranes toppled on Manhattan's east side, pulverizing buildings on the way down and fatally injuring seven people.