World Trade Center Crane Collapses; Accident Halts Construction (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
Beams Plummet Through Air at Ground Zero, Sending Workers Scrambling
The cord attached to a crane hoisting a pile of steel beams hundreds of feet into the air snapped during construction at the World Trade Center site Thursday, causing about a hundred workers to scramble to safety. No one appeared to be seriously hurt.
What looked to be steel high-beams fell at about 9:56 a.m. at the WTC site in downtown Manhattan. The steel high-beams, attached to a crane perched on top of a new building under construction at the site, plummeted to the ground when the crane cable snapped. The accident occurred near Cortlandt Street, near the site of the 9/11 memorial.
Fire trucks, emergency response vehicles and several police cars arrived on the scene within minutes, and the site of the crane collapse was soon roped off. The construction site was shut down for further investigation near Building 4.
People working near the World Trade Center site on Cortlandt Street and Broadway heard a tremendous "boom" as the steel-beams fell through the air and landed on a flatbed truck.
Police sources revealed that one worker was injured after the steel fell an estimated 40 stories before crashing to the ground. However, the worker did not want to receive medical treatment, according to the New York Daily News.
Although the accident seemed to shake up workers, it was contained within the construction area.