It was a fast, cheap – and ultimately deadly – decision, federal probers say of a shoddy repair that led to an Upper East Side crane collapse last year.
An “inadequate weld” by repair workers in China factored in the May 30 tower-crane collapse on East 91st Street that killed two construction workers, say government investigative documents obtained by The Post.
When the turntable weld snapped 13 stories above East 91st Street and First Avenue, the crane’s engine, hoisting booms and operator cabin, fell to the street, killing the operator, Donald Leo, 30, and ground-level construction worker Ramadan Kurtaj, 28.
Other culprits may be unearthed in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration probe of the tragedy – the second of two fatal tower-crane topplings in Manhattan last year. Among the other factors are the crane’s age and whether it was adequately inspected before it was set up.
OSHA officials won’t discuss the probe. But sources outside the agency say it is withholding its report while Manhattan prosecutors weigh possible criminal charges.
The turntable on the 24-year-old Kodiak crane was damaged at a high-rise construction job on West 46th Street in May 2007 by what its owner, New York Crane & Equipment, says was a lightning strike.
New York Crane and its owner, James Lomma, weighed two options to fix the turntable bearing.
An Ohio company, Avon Bearings, offered to do the job for $120,000 in about 196 days. The other offer was from a Chinese firm, RTR Bearing, which said it could fix the bearing for $20,000 in 90 days – despite the time needed to ship the part to China and back.
Although RTR’s quote was $100,000 lower, “price played no part in it,” said New York Crane lawyer Glenn Fuerth. He said RTR was New York Crane’s only option for the repair since Avon was too busy with other orders.
RTR says that it advised New York Crane the bearing should’ve been fixed in the United States and that it took the job reluctantly.
Also, RTR says it bears no responsibility because it completed the weld according to the company’s specifications. “We made this bearing according to New York Crane’s drawing,” company official Joyce Wang told The Post in an e-mail.