BREAKING CurbedWire: Construction Accident at B of A Tower
Wednesday, October 17, 2007, by Robert
There's been some sort of construction accident at the Bank of America tower construction site on Sixth Avenue. One emailer writes: "The block of 6th Avenue btwn 42nd & 43rd is closed. Doesn't look like anyone was hurt, thank God. Looked like they dropped a load of steel; the glass raining down looked like snow." Another emails, "Glass just fell ~50 stories at 43rd st and 6th ave from the under-construction Bank of America Building (One Bryant Park). Intersection is blocked off, glass EVERYWHERE, fire trucks and police galore." Developing.
UPDATE: Another person on the scene writes, "Looks like everyone is ok. there is 1 window completely out on the 35th floor (estimated) and another one w/ damage to it. looks like it dropped wood for the most part. glass did shatter and continues to fall bit by bit on 43rd and 6th ave."
UPDATE, 1:27PM: Another on-scene witness adds some detail, "I work in the grace building facing the bofa construction site and saw it happen. One of those large metal demolition garbage bins snapped loose as it was being lifted up. On the way down it hit the building a couple of times shattering glass and sending glass and debris down onto 6th avenue. It also hit the crane support, but does not look like anyone was seriously hurt."
UPDATE, 2:15PM: 1010 Wins reports six minor injuries and confirms that a dumpster on a crane hit the building. It ended up on a landing 20 feet above street level, "spraying shards of glass that ended up on 6th Avenue between 42nd and 44th streets."
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Geez, ya think all of those $3 ATM surcharges would buy better construction workers.
Eye Witness: The sounds were horrible. I saw debree raining down but it appeared everyone was ok. I thank a pilr of dog poo that held me back a few secinds from leaving.
The sirens from NYPD/FDNY have been raging constantly for over an hour now. PLEASE...I CANNOT WORK!
What the f**k is this? NY 1???
Reminds me of when all the glass blew off the new John Hancock Building in Boston. Hilarity ensued!
remember the hidden camera footage of the workers at this location drinking on the job during lunch hour? there were signs posted on the scaffolding the next day claming they support an alcohol-free workplace.
Blame it on the hipsters Curb Duh.
July 21, 1998, construction crane falls from Durst (Conde Naste) building. One dead.
They should do all this construction on night and weekends when no one is around.
Is this a union site? Recall Conde Nast building was not, and many blamed the various deaths and accidents on the lack of union presence. Does $50/hour to hold an orange flag mean a safer site or not? Anyone know?
Its union. For every one guy working, two are watching him work.
yeah its a union job im on it and obviously your a scab so dont knock unions workers it was an accident with no fault to no. I watched the hole operation of evacuation and in my opinion the general contractor did a great job evacuating and securing the building
Just so I have my facts straight, does the guy w/ the orange flag really make $50/hour? If so, can I get into the union?
away with unions. it goes against a free market. look at general motors. your day will come when construction unions lose its power.
Get out of here anony-Mouse learn to spell first and then maybe you can read a book or two on organized labor we have built this city forever and now because you push pencil's for a living and a guy with "the orange flag" make 46 dollars and hour and you make ten you knock him... figures... We work hard for our money and you knock us.. I would love to see you carry a I-Beam five flights or sweat a day with my fellow brothers
This really shows how much NYC is officially over. In the old days a decrepit building would have collapsed and left at least 3 people seriously injured. Now the fire engines show up at a glassy construction project and everyone is a-ok. Bring back urban grit!
Hey Vinny, my Neanderthal friend, do you really base your reason to exist on the ability to carry heavy objects?
Run along now. I'm sure you have to get back to your home in New Jersey, or Howard Beach, or wherever you wops breed.
I may hate the hipsters that are taking over Brooklyn, but at least they are pushing out the Italians.
an accident is an accident unions and union contrators take pride and spend millions to do there best to keep a safe working envirment, while non-union contractors expliot there workers and force them to work in unsafe conditions.
wops? for starters shitbag go fuck yourself second my point be is none of you suit and tie guys could ever make it a day with us construction workers 3rd why anonymous you seem like a tough guy why dont you come to brooklyn and see if you could get me out along with your hipster friends you loser no balls name the time and place punk
thanks sledge that was my point exactly....
Go Vinny and Sledge. I'm waiting for the bitter rent-stabbers to turn this around and start posting about how people that are buying new condos are at fault for this accident.
If you happen to be one of those construction workers at the BoA job, the building is shut down for tomorrow.
As for those of you who feel it necessary to slam union labor, dollars to doughnuts you don't live in a non-union built apartment in NYC and you would not want to ride the subway if the MTA used non-union labor to build the tunnels. Union labor in this city means safety first, despite accidents that are bound to happen on any job. I don't know any pencil pushers who don't use erasers. Mistakes happen. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt by this one.
point taken good way to say it
At one time the Union was needed.
It has since grown too big.
And because most of its members couldn't push a pencil nor even know how to push a pencil they have killed their own golden goose.
Case in point, i wonder how much of the steel in that Union Job construction site was smelted in the USA?
And no, i've never had the occasion to lift an I-beam. But i have hauled concrete, mixed concrete, done carpentry, worked as an apprentice electrician, and sweated many a pipe.
Meanwhile, how many of you I-beam haulers could actually figure out the minimum weight of steel needed for that I-beam before the building collapses? Or the maximum sustainable wage to pay for the construction of the I-beam before Bethlehem Steel collapses?
As a shop steward for my unions members I resent does bad mouthing my men. We pays them good wages because they do what they are told. Four hours to change a lightbulb is not that outrageous. In bad wather it could take more. And the accusaions that fourteen men to open a hole in the street is accesive is not fare ether. These men are union trained and so they should be paid for there training. Time and a half over twenty hours a week, double time on weekends not to exceed four hours and triple time on holidays and work weeks exceeding twenty one hours.
Sean O'Reilly
Head Steward
Local 1017
United Brotherhood of workers
for all of those people knocking the union, just think how much you would be getting if it wasn't for the unions. Most companys pay more money to keep the union out and if that is so then we are doing our job making sure everyone gets a fair days pay for a fair days work
The last time a union member did a fair days job for a fair days pay was in the late... ? Wait, when did they ever? Actually I think it was before the unions were formed.
The United Auto Workers should know the answer.
tell me all about it i was on the street when the debris missed me by 20 feet. it almost looked like 9-11 the way people stated fleeing. most of the pedestrians that had their property damaged didnt really get hurt. i was there i seen it alll.
LOCAL 45 , 608, 20 , 157, 926 , 2090 , LOCAL 3 , LOCAL 28 , LOCAL 46 LATHERS , DC9 , UNITE... THIS WAS A FREAK ACCIDENT , SORT OF LIKE AN ACT OF GOD , THE HARD WORKING GOOD UNION MEN COULD NOT OF AVOIDED THIS. SOME LOCAL 3 WORKERS ARE KNOWN TO BE LAZY AND GET PAID ALOT OF MONEY WHILE OTHERS WATCH , BUT IN GENERAL WE ARE THE HARDEST WORKING PEOPLE IN THE CITY! UNION FOR LIFE! DIE SCABS!
italians make the world go round...think about ur dumb italian comment next time ur enjoying pasta with meatballs or chicken parmigiana. actually u seem so lo class u probably eat noodles with ketchup and call that pasta .. or better yet , chef boyardee , u mutt! union and italian!
I am the gentleman holding the flag on 6th avenue and unfortunatley we dont make that much an hour. My job was to secure 6th Ave in case of an incident like this. Obviously the sidewalk was shutdown during this accident and no one was hurt. Last I checked we have all kinds of cultures and backgrounds in the construction industry. And in closing I am proud to be union, proud to be a New Yorker and proud of the job we are doing on the Bank of America Building. Lets put aside our indifferences and stand together as New Yorkers.
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