NYC man killed by falling crane eulogized as generous, kind

“You could feel the vibration in the building”, said Harold, who recounted seeing onlookers trying to rescue someone trapped in a parked auto and seeing a person lying motionless on the street.

Wall Street worker David Wichs was killed by the crane as he walked on the street Friday.

A collapsed crane fills the street on Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, in NY.

Thomas O’Brien, 73, was one of three people who were hurt when the 565-foot-long crane fell, killing a Harvard graduate who worked for a trading firm on Wall Street.

There will be new restrictions on crawler cranes starting on February 8 requiring crews to cease operation and go into “safety mode” whenever steady winds are forecast to go over 20 miles per hour or gusts to exceed 30 miles per hour. Three others sustained non-life-threatening injuries when falling debris hit them. “He literally took every opportunity he could find”, she said through tears.

“Given what happened here, it’s extraordinary that there was not more damage, and it’s extraordinary that we did not lose more people”, Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference Sunday in which he announced a four-point plan to increase safety when large construction cranes are operating.

A bystander’s video taken through a window high above the ground showed the arm descending and then taking the entire crane to the ground.

City officials say it might take weeks to determine why the crane crashed as it was being lowered during strong winds. “He never forgot it, and he gave back generously”, the rabbi said.

The city is also calling for increased protection for pedestrians in the immediate area of crane activity.

Eyewitnesses of the chaotic scene said that they thought it was a strong natural disaster as everything shook – buildings, cars, the ground.

A pedestrian killed by a collapsing crane was eulogized Sunday as a man of kindness and generosity as the final remnants of the crumpled steel were removed from the Manhattan street where they fell.

And although the cause of the accident is still being investigated, new measures will be put into effect to prevent any future tragedies.

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