New York Personal Injury News & NYC Legal Current Events

Crane Rigger To Face Manslaughter Charges In NYC Crane Accident

This week the New York Supreme Court judge denied a motion to throw out the manslaughter case filed against New York City crane rigger William Rapetti. Rapetti is facing seven counts of manslaughter after the fatal crane accident in NYC last year in the grand jury case.  The next court date in the trial has been set for October 8, 2009.

The crane accident took place in mid-March of 2008, when a 20-foot tall construction crane collapsed, crushing an apartment building and damaging several other properties. Seven people were killed in the NYC crane accident, including six construction workers and one tourist. The apartment building under construction had been cited for 13 safety violations at the time of the accident, five of which had not been resolved.

A few weeks after the construction accident, the Manhattan district attorney's office began a criminal investigation into the crane collapse. Some believe that the crane was put together incorrectly after it was damaged last year. Others believe the blame should be put on William Rapetti, the master crane rigger who did not use the required equipment before the collaps. Rapetti used four slings to help raise the crane instead of the required eight just hours before the fatal NYC accident took place.

Rapetti's lawyer argues that his client did nothing to contribute in the fatal New York crane collapse, and that the fatal NY construction accident was just that - a tragic accident.

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