MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — The crane owner on trial for the deaths of two workers was in danger of facing criminal charges even before the fatal collapse in 2008, a former Department of Buildings testified Monday.
Bethany Klein, the former Cranes and Derricks executive at the DOB, said the department already had concerns about James Lomma's 30-year-old cranes, which had been in operation all over the city for high-rise construction projections.
She said those concerns were heightened when the DOB learned that a turntable on one of Lomma's crane had broken, and his company had destroyed the broken piece before the DOB could examine it.
"We were also discussing criminal charges," Klein said on cross-examination during a line of questioning about letters her office sent to Lomma and his deputies.
She didn't say what the possible charges were or when they were being discussed, and was ordered to stop discussing the topic when defense lawyer Paul Shechtman objected.
Lomma is on trial for manslaughter for the deaths of crane operator Donald Leo, 30, and sewer worker Ramadan Kurtaj, 27. They were killed when a crane owned by Lomma buckled over and collapsed during the construction of a high-rise apartment building at East 91st Street and First Avenue on May 30, 2008.
Lomma allegedly used cheap, unregulated parts from China on the massive metal structure in order to save money and keep his cranes in operation during a busy construction time.
Klein also testified she never had any indication that Lomma was shopping for replacement parts in China and instead was led to believe he was dealing with the Akron, Ohio, company that manufactured the crane.
Klein is expected to continue her testimony Tuesday.
