19.03.2019

Crane boom comes down in NY

The boom of a large articulated crane collapsed onto the sidewalk/pavement in central Manhattan, New York last night.

The crane operator was said have suffered a minor injury to his foot, but remained on site for the recovery. Thankfully no one else was hurt in the incident, which occurred on 34th Street between 7th and 8th avenues close to Penn Station. The crane, an Effer 2200, with a maximum capacity of 39 tonnes, is owned and operated by Brooklyn based Lifting Solutions, which specialises in heavy knuckle boom cranes.
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The scene last night

Early reports the failure of a cylinder pin or bracket, but we can confirm that the pin in the luffing linkage - 'Twin Link' worked its way out, causing the top boom to drop. The crane had been unloading beams destined for the construction of a sidewalk shed. The fact that the area under the boom was cordoned off certainly helped avoid injuries or fatalities.
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The Twin Link pin worked its way out after the retaining cap came off

Lifting Solutions brought in two other cranes to recover the stricken machine and removed in the early hours of this morning. We will update this item when we learn more.
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The boom came down on the sidewalk/pavement