It happened around 3:15 a.m. at a building site on Varick and Broome streets near the Holland Tunnel in SoHo.
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Police said 34-year-old Gregory Echevarria, of Brooklyn, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators are working to determine what caused the accident, but it appears that construction workers were setting up the crane. The crane had been lifting pieces of counterweight that's positioned into place before the crane can be fully extended. A part of that counterweight fell off and apparently struck Echevarria.
People in the area described a thunderous crash.
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Two other workers were slightly injured.
The crane work was set to take place all week long, but this accident has brought all operations to a stop.
The tragedy capped a deadly week for New York City's construction industry.
Nelson Salinas, 51, was killed by falling debris on Monday as he was working on facade repairs at an apartment building on Manhattan's East Side.
Erik Mendoza, 23, was working on the roof of a 13-story building in Brooklyn when he fell to his death on Wednesday.
"No building is worth a life," Buildings Department spokesman Andrew Rudansky said. "Every worker who leaves for the job site in the morning deserves to come home safely at night."
Rudansky said the department is investigating all three deaths and "will hold accountable anyone in the construction industry who endangers workers or the public."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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