Midtown crane accident: Are there enough inspectors in NYC

NEW YORK (WABC) -- There is new information on the crane accident and there are disturbing questions about crane safety, this in a city where high rise construction is rampant.

Why did that rigging gear fail, sending an enormous air conditioning unit plummeting 28 floors to the ground?

This is the second serious crane accident in a little over a month. Eyewitness News spoke to three crane experts about what may have happened.

Only one was willing to go on the record.

But he's probably the top investigator in his field and he says this looks no different than most crane accidents in that someone, not something, likely caused it.

There were no visible problems as the crane lifted the 4-ton industrial air conditioner 29 stories, but at some point as the crane made the tricky maneuver to slide the huge chiller into the building, something caused the rigging to snap.

"Who in the hell went over the plans?" said Thomas Barth, a crane investigator.

Thomas Barth an engineer who has investigated more than 100 crane accidents says this looks like human error.

"Why would the chiller fall down if they had the proper rigging?" Barth said.

Reportedly, workers inside the building say part of the huge tractor-trailer size unit hit the floor, causing it to buckle.

"Who was the engineer that designed it? Or was there just some guy saying this is what we're going to do," Barth said.

It's not the first crane accident involving the owner Bay Crane Services and the crane operator, Skylift Contractor. They were involved in an accident five years ago in which a crane struck the side of a building. This latest mishap is raising questions about city oversight of cranes. Seven months ago, the city Comptroller released an audit slamming the Buildings Department for failure to implement safety recommendations stemming from two crane accidents in 2008 that killed nine people.

"They have a poor record of managing safety in this city; they have an obligation to make sure we have the safest construction sights given that we have an unprecedented building boom. They should stop making excuses and be more transparent about a fuller safety for construction," New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer said.

The city has adopted stricter licensing and training requirements for crane operators and riggers. Old cranes have been ordered out of service. But even the simplest safety precautions seem to be overlooked such as shutting down streets and sidewalks during heavy lifts. Yesterday, Madison Avenue was partially open when the unit crashed to the ground.

"Why didn't they shut the streets down during the lifting of this chiller, Mayor de Blasio wants to be safe, but he didn't care about the public," Barth said.

The National Crane Association tells Eyewitness News New York City has some of the toughest crane regulations in the country.

The question is do they have enough inspectors to enforce them? Eyewitness News is told they have 32 inspectors on the books. That's to inspect 300 cranes that are in operation everyday throughout the city.