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Construction Resumes After Deadly Crane Collapse at MTA Site

By Mathew Katz | April 10, 2012 12:32pm
Michael Simmermeyer, 30, of Burlington, N.J., was killed in the crane crash, police said.
Michael Simmermeyer, 30, of Burlington, N.J., was killed in the crane crash, police said.
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MANHATTAN — Construction on the 7 Train extension resumed Monday afternoon, officials said, less than a week after a crane collapse killed one worker and injured several others at the West 34th Street and 11th Avenue work site.

At least one cable snapped, sparking the April 3 collapse of the Manitowoc 4100 crane, which was owned and operated by Yonkers Contracting Company Inc. The disaster killed Michael Simmermeyer, 30, and injured three other workers.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority had suspended all work on the site, where the future 34th Street station is being built, shortly after the deadly incident and has yet to replace the crane as of Tuesday morning, even though work has restarted.

According to reports, city inspectors failed to check the cables of the crane in a January inspection.

In the wake of the crane collapse, local politicians have called for greater city oversight over MTA and other state-owned construction sites. Currently, city inspectors can only come onto sites under state supervision if they are invited.

The city's Department of Buildings, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the District Attorney and the NYPD are investigating the incident.