Case overview

A tower crane in Manhattan collapsed, falling over 200 feet to the pavement below and killing two construction workers. On its path to the ground, the crane significantly damaged the 23-story building across the street. The crane wreckage was a jumbled mess on the street and was moved to an alternate site before our investigation began years after the collapse.

Reconstructing the accident was a very complex task. Many pieces of the crane had been loaded into multiple dumpsters. Our reconstruction involved synthesizing information from photos, drawings, witness testimony, inspections, testing, and engineering analysis and calculations. The core fundamental issue was whether the crane failed as a result of improper operation, or if the crane failed as a result of an improper repair made by the crane’s owner. After a thorough and painstaking investigation, our analysis determined the crane owner was ultimately at fault.

The Result: The highly contentious 10½ month trial was the longest trial in NY state civil court history. In the end, the jury found the crane owner culpable, awarding the plaintiffs over $96 million in damages and exonerating our client in the process.