A New York City woman is now suing the operator and construction company behind last month’s crane collapse in midtown Manhattan because she thought she was going to die and “she braced herself in fear” as the rubble fell. rained while she was in a car.
Marcy Olin, 59, and her husband, Michael Tierney, are suing multiple construction companies, crane companies and the crane’s operator, Christopher Van Duyne, over the disaster. It is the first lawsuit related to the collapse.
According to the lawsuit, Olin of New York observed, heard and felt the collapsing crane and other debris crash into her vehicle.
Olin “reasonably and justifiably feared that the collapsing crane and/or its debris would cause her bodily harm or kill her,” the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit alleged.
It is not the first legal trouble for the operator and the company, as both have paid after deaths on construction sites.
Debris splashed through the streets of Hudson Yards Wednesday morning
A damaged window on Mary Olin’s car due to the crane collapsing
“We filed today’s lawsuit — which we believe is the first filed in response to last week’s disaster — to get answers as to why the 550 Tenth Avenue Project crane caught fire and collapsed. , to hold accountable those responsible for the collapse and demand compensation for our aggrieved clients,” Olin’s attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, said in a statement Thursday.
“We all rightly expect cranes to be built safely, inspected regularly and properly, and carefully operated to avoid disaster, as we experienced in Manhattan last week,” the attorney said.
The amount of money that Olin and Tierney are seeking was not included in the lawsuit first reported by the New York Post.
A dozen people, including two firefighters, were injured after the construction crane caught fire on July 26, collapsing and hitting the side of another skyscraper, before falling into a Manhattan rush-hour street as terrified commuters ran for their lives.
The burning crane was attached to a 47-story luxury apartment complex under construction at 550 10th Avenue, with the 16 tons of concrete it was carrying also smashed onto the street below.
Mary Olin was driving her car on 10th Avenue when the crane fell and debris crashed into her car.
“The collapsing crane and other debris crashed violently into the ground and surrounding areas, sounding like an explosion and shaking the ground and hair,” the suit read.
It’s unclear if Olin was injured in the collapse, and the suit doesn’t mention any physical trauma.
In the photo: the crane on fire. The fire heated the crane’s cable, which was holding 16 tons of concrete, causing it to snap and cause the collapse, FDNY deputy commissioner explained
A photo from uptown shows the crane ablaze with the Hudson Yards skyscrapers behind it
A burning construction crane in Manhattan collapses and hits the side of a residential skyscraper on 10th Avenue, sending debris onto the sidewalk below
The FDNY posted an image of their firefighters battling the blaze this morning
First responders spray water on a tall construction crane
The dramatic incident sent debris splashing into the streets – injuring several people below – while shattering the glass of storefronts.
A total of 12 people were injured. Two victims were in serious condition – including one of the two firefighters who are among those injured.
Michael Rael, who saw the drama, told DailyMail.com: ‘We were finishing a delivery and my foreman said ‘come out’ and I looked up and the tap was on fire.
“Once we saw the fire truck coming, we ran to the basement because we’re working on the pipe they’re connecting, so we let the air out of the pipe for the fire department, so when they connect the hose, the water goes to them.
“So we ran over there, we weren’t there even two minutes and then I felt the thump when the tap fell while we were in the basement.
“The first thing I felt was that the ceilings, the walls, the ground were shaking. I can only assume that’s what it’s like to be in an earthquake.”
The burning crane was attached to a 47-story luxury apartment building under construction at 550 10th Avenue, destroying the 16 toss of concrete it was carrying on the street below as well.
It was seen leaning against the side of the 55-story 555 10th Avenue, an apartment building across the street.
Residents who lived overlooking the scene told DailyMail.com that they heard screams from the construction workers around 7:15 a.m.
The resident told DailyMail.com: ‘We saw stretchers and ambulances, so there are injured people on the ground. All the windows of the shops below have also been smashed.
The fire heated the crane’s cable, which was holding 16 tons of concrete, causing it to snap and cause the collapse, the FDNY’s deputy commissioner explained.
Construction worker Richard Paz told DailyMail.com that a cable used to transport concrete to the top of the site overheated just before the blaze broke out, though an official cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
Another close-up image shows the crane ablaze and billowing black smoke in the clear morning sky. A jet of water can be seen on the left being sprayed on the flames
People walk on with the destruction of the crane in the background
Part of a building that was affected by the collapse of the crane
Firefighters and detectives stand around the rubble that littered the streets of Manhattan
Terrifying footage showed the crane collapsing and hitting a glass skyscraper opposite, while people staying in nearby hotels and apartment blocks were quickly evacuated.
People covered in blood were put on stretchers in ambulances as construction workers and commuters cried on the ground floor, eyewitnesses said.
More than 200 firefighters rushed to a nearby balcony and desperately fought the inferno – which erupted 500 feet above the Manhattan skyline this morning.
The crane is owned by New Jersey-based Lomma, whose late founder James Lomma was ordered to pay $96 million to two construction workers who died when one of its other cranes collapsed in 2008.
The operator at the helm of the collapsed construction crane had previously had his operating license suspended and was fined $25,000 when a colleague plunged 48 stories and died in 2008.
Chris Van Duyne, 62, narrowly escaped with his life when the tap caught fire before collapsing.
Van Duyne faced administrative charges and his crane operating license was suspended for eight months, along with his brother James Van Duyne, after 48-year-old Anthony Esposito fell and died on September 4, 2008, during the construction of Silverstein Towers at 600 West 42nd Street.
Chris Van Duyne, 62, (pictured after his crane collapsed) narrowly escaped with his life when the crane he was operating caught fire before collapsing and injuring 12 people on the sidewalks of Manhattan
The brothers had cut the guardrail of a work platform attached to the tower crane, a joint investigation by the Department of Investigations and Department of Buildings found.
Esposito, who was married with three children, was helping the brothers dismantle the crane when it lost its footing and fell to its death.
He was wearing a safety harness but it was not fastened, the New York Post reported at the time.
Van Duyne and his brother were both charged with endangering public safety and violating the city’s building codes and were each fined $25,000, it was reported at the time.
They were both required to complete 30 hours of DOB safety training and their crane operating license was suspended for eight months.
In the video, a worker on the construction site can be heard saying ‘it’s on fire’ and ‘he’s coming down’ as his colleague Van Duyne descends a ladder – with smoke billowing from the top of the burning crane.
An employee, recording the video, then says, “Oh s**** that s*** is coming off.”
As he escapes, fellow construction workers joke and begin to chant, “We don’t need water, let the mother burn.”