Construction workers raced to clear street before crane's boom came down

HELL'S KITCHEN, ALICE GAINER, CBS 2 NEWS. >>> TEAM COVERAGE CONTINUES WITH CHRISTINA FAN WHO SPOKE TO PEOPLE WHO WATCHED IT UNFOLD. WHAT ARE THEY SAYING. >> Reporter: WELL, CHRIS, AS YOU CAN SEE, 10th AVENUE IS COVERED WITH DEBRIS, GLASS AND METAL FROM ALL OF THAT DEBRIS THAT FELL FROM THE SKY. STAY WITH US AS WE PAN UP TO SHOW YOU JUST HOW FAR THAT DROP WAS. CONSTRUCTION WORKERS TELL US THAT THE SITE WAS NEARING COMPLETION WHICH IS WHY THE CRANE WAS DELIVERING MATERIAL TO THE TOP FLOORS AND THEY DESCRIBE THE CHAOS IN THE STAIRWELL SCRAMBLING FOR THEIR LIVES. THE TOP OF A CRANE CAME CRASHING DOWN. CONSTRUCTION WORKERS INSIDE THE WORK ZONE SCRAMBLED TO GET OUT OF THE BUILDING AND OUT OF THE STREET. >> I GET AN ALERT THAT THE CRANE IS ON FIRE. I BRING ONE OF THE GUYS UPSTAIRS WITH TWO FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. AS I HANG UP THE PHONE, I HEAR BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. GET OUT OF THE BUILDING RIGHT NOW. >> THE WHOLE BUCKET CAME DOWN AND JUST, YOU KNOW, CRASHED. IT WAS CRAZY. >> BROKEN PIECES OF METAL LAY STREWN ACROSS 10th AVENUE AFTER PLUMMETING FROM THE 45th FLOOR. THE CRANE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF HAULING UP 16 TONS OF CONCRETE WHEN THERE WAS A SUDDEN MECHANICAL FAILURE. >> IT'S LIKE AN ENGINE. IT LEAKED OIL, LIT UP AND THEN JUST A MATTER OF TIME FOR IT EXPLODING WHICH IT DID. >> Reporter: RICHARD SAYS IF IT WASN'T FOR THE QUICK ACTIONS OF THE WORKERS WHO ALERTED CARS AND PEDESTRIANS, INJURIES WOULD HAVE BEEN WORSE. >> I'M STOPPING TRAFFIC. I NOTICE THE ISSUE. ONCE THE COMPUTER SHUT DOWN, IT STOPS EVERYTHING. SO, THE BUCKET WAS IN LIMBO HANGING. >> Reporter: WHEN THE CRANE TOPPLED, IT TOOK OUT A CHUNK OF THE HIGH-RISE COMPLEX ACROSS THE STREET. IT JOLTED FAMILIES AWAKE. >> A HUMONGOUS SOUND. I SEE THE FLAMES COMING OUT FROM THE CRANE AND THE BLACK SMOKE. >> Reporter: CHRIS, AS THAT STORY WAS JUST AIRING, A PIECE OF DEBRIS JUST CAME FLYING OFF THE NEIGHBORING APARTMENT COMPLEX WHEN THE CRANE STRUCK EARLIER THIS MORNING. THE SCENE IS STILL VERY MUCH ACTIVE AND NOT SECURE AT THIS TIME. THE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS TELL US THAT EVERYONE IS ACCOUNTED FOR. THEY ARE SHAKEN UP BUT OKAY. QUITE A FEW MINOR INJURIES INCLUDING TWO

Channel: CBS New York

Views: 25,935

Keywords: CBS2 News At Noon, construction, crane, collapse, crane fire, crane collapse, hell's kitchen, manhattan, new york, christina fan, local tv

Id: 98_jnJYX0Og

Length: 2min 39sec (159 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 27 2023