Worker killed, 4 hurt in NYC crane collapse

A crane that came off its base and crashed to the ground at a Manhattan construction site killed one worker and injured four others, officials said.

The worker who died was identified by police as 30-year-old Michael Simmermeyer of Burlington, N.J.

Officials say he was pronounced dead after the accident at the site of the No. 7 subway line extension. One other person was hospitalized in serious condition. Three other people were treated for minor injuries.

Jack Sullivan, deputy chief for the FDNY EMS, said it was possible one of the workers had been struck by the crane's boom. The crane operator and someone who worked with him were among those who were injured.

About 60 feet below ground, the crane came apart in two pieces, one part 80 feet long and the other, 40 feet long, about 7:22 p.m., officials said, at 11th Avenue and West 34th Street, construction site of the No. 7 subway line extension.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority released a statement that said, "We will work together with all proper authorities to conduct a thorough investigation on the circumstances behind this unfortunate incident."

Danny Glover, a spokesman for the FDNY public information office, said when the alarm went out, "It was treated as an 'All Hands,' which means there were about 12 units of firefighters responding, about 60 firefighters."

Thomas Rushkin, a retired city police officer and private investigator, said he was on his way home when he saw emergency vehicles heading over and got a glance at the pieces of the crane.

"The arm is broken in half," he said, adding that it appeared that one part of the crane was on a level below the street.

Another witness, Kennon Murphy, of Charlotte, N.C., said he was on his way to the nearby Javits Convention Center when he heard "a big boom." He said of the crane: "We noticed it was down."

After the accident, a laborer could be heard saying, "I can't take it," while another standing on a sidewalk nearby collapsed in tears into the arms of another worker.