Nearly four years ago, a crane collapsed at the corner of First Avenue and East 91st Street, killing two construction workers. The crane company owner James Lomma was indicted for manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, among other charges. Now, Lomma is walking free—Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Daniel Conviser acquitted him of the charges.
Crane operator Donald Leo Jr. was killed when the crane's cab fell 200 feet to the ground while Ramadan Kurtaj, who was at street level, was crushed by debris. The NY Times reports that Lomma's defense "had contended that the collapse was not the result of shoddy welding by the Chinese company. Rather, it happened because of a heavy load hoisted by the crane’s operator. That load caused the crane’s line to snap and sent the crane into imbalance."
Prosecutors had argued that Lomma's companies, which were also acquitted, agreed to use the damaged piece of equipment. And one of Lomma's employees wasn't good at math and couldn't measure a critical part.
Manhattan DA Cy Vance issued a statement saying, "Although we are disappointed with the judge’s verdict, each case we have brought in this area has put increased scrutiny on the construction industry as a whole, and has had a cascading effect on safety practices." And Leo's grieving mother said, "I am in shock. How did this happen. How did this judge come to this conclusion on every single count? It's disgraceful... My son is not back today and I miss him. He died and more people will continue to die because of this judge. He failed every single crane operator today."
This crane collapse happened less than two months after another crane fell in Manhattan, killing seven people.
