Cause of crane collapse could take weeks to know

Wall Street worker David Wichs, 38, was walking on the street below and was killed by the crane collapse. The crane’s operators were in the process of lowering and securing it amid adverse weather conditions, including heavy snow, when it toppled over, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Born in Prague, he had moved to the United States as a teenager and graduated from Harvard University, said his sister-in-law, Lisa Guttman.

She said: “He really created a life for himself”. He took each and every opportunity which he could find.

Attempts to reach Wichs’ immediate family members were unsuccessful last night. The crane’s boom landed across several cars, smashing their roofs, as debris littered the street.

Two other people suffered serious injuries and were transported to a local hospital, a spokesman for the New York City Fire Department said.

“Thank God we didn’t have more injuries and lose more people”, de Blasio said. “It’s something of a miracle that there was not more of an impact”, he said during a press conference. Officials are working to determine why a huge construction crane that was being lowered during strong winds came crashing down onto a street.

Nicholi White, 20, who works for online grocer Fresh Direct, said he was waiting to deliver boxes when he saw it fall. A woman who answered the phone there declined to give her name but said the office staff was “deeply saddened”. The 565-foot big rig was owned by Bay Crane of Long Island City, Queens and Hicksville, Long Island, and operated by Galasso Trucking and Rigging.

Inspectors found no problems with the crane, but Chandler said, “Obviously, it requires investigation in terms of the way this was done”.

The city requires cranes to cease operating at wind gusts of at least 30mph and store them in a safe position. “He was the best, the absolute best, and that’s what makes this tragedy that much greater”, said his close friend. The accidents spurred fueled new safety measures, but there have been a number of crane accidents in the city over the years since.

Officials said Saturday they hope soon to recover the mobile crane’s computer.

The collapse happened just before 8:30 a.m. on Worth Street near Church Street.

Several minutes prior to the accident, construction workers had been deployed to divert pedestrians and cars from the area.

More than 100 firefighters responded to the scene and are now surveying the area along with Consolidated Edison, which shut down gas in the buildings surrounding the site.

It was not yet known if wind played a role in the collapse.