Posts Tagged ‘constructions deaths’

The former chief crane inspector for New York City began serving a two to six year prison term after having pled guilty in March (2010).  His conviction was for taking bribes for approving the use of cranes he had not actually inspected, and for issuing crane operator licenses to unqualified individuals.

This investigation was prompted by the collapse of two cranes in 2008.  In the first collapse, seven individuals died; in the second collapse, two individuals died.   The defense attorney noted that the cranes involved in these accidents were not of the type for which the defendant was accused of taking bribes.

The punishment, while severe, may well have been even harsher were it not for the fact that the defendant suffers from a pulmonary disease brought on by his work supervising crane operations at Ground Zero after the 9/11 tragedy.