TZB crane collapse: What we know
Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the lack of serious injuries "nothing short of a miracle."
Six of seven lanes on the Tappan Zee Bridge are back in service today, after a crane building the bridge's replacement collapsed across the current span's roadway Tuesday.
There is still a lot that remains unknown. Here’s what we know, and what we don’t:
What we know
One lane will stay closed: The accident on Tuesday shut down traffic in both directions on the Tappan Zee Bridge for more than five hours. Northbound traffic flow was restored first, with three southbound lanes also reopened by 8 p.m. A seventh, the outermost Westchester-bound lane, will likely remain closed for several days due to damage caused by the crane's falling boom, authorities said. "One lane being out is manageable," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday at a late-day briefing.
COMMUTE: Tappan Zee cut to one southbound lane after 8 tonight for repairs
Crane collapse: Worker blames 'slingshot' effect
TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE: 5 construction-related accidents
FOLLOW US: Like our New Tappan Zee Bridge page on Facebook
There were no serious injuries: During a press conference Tuesday after the crane collapse, Cuomo said there were three injuries related to the incident, but all were minor. Cuomo, who raced to the scene from an upstate media event, called it "nothing short of a miracle" that the injuries and damage were limited.
The old bridge has been damaged: Cuomo and Rockland County Executive Ed Day said the outside lane on the Westchester-bound side of the bridge had a "punch through" hole, a break in the external guard rail and structural damage underneath that would need significant repairs. Other, more minor, damage in the southbound lanes was able to be covered by road plates.
What we don’t know
What caused the collapse: Cuomo said the crane that collapsed had been using a vibratory hammer to drive in pilings when it "had an issue" that caused its boom to fall onto the existing bridge nearby. The governor said that high winds were not to blame, nor was the pace of construction. Cuomo and other officials have not offered any conclusions as to why the crane collapsed, saying it could be equipment failure or operator error.
“Sometimes equipment breaks and sometimes accidents just happen, as simplistic as that sounds ... We’ll know more after the inspection,” he said at the afternoon briefing. Later, he referred to the incident as a crane "malfunction."
ACCOUNT: Ex-NYC firefighter, wife escape disaster on TZB
ALTERNATIVES: Get around Tappan Zee Bridge detours
SOCIAL: From the scene of the Tappan Zee crane collapse
EFFECT: Tappan Zee crane collapse vexes drivers
If a car was struck by the crane: Three people sustained minor injuries when the crane collapsed, and Cuomo said two cars had "minor accidents in avoiding the falling crane" but "miraculously there were no serious injuries whatsoever." Though he said "No vehicle actually hit the crane," that contradicted a report from Eddie and June Pecorini, who told The Journal News that the falling crane had clipped the back of their pickup truck.
Whether there a water rescue: The Coast Guard reported that the operator of the crane that collapsed had been rescued from the water by Westchester County police, but other officials did not confirm that account.
Whether construction will be affected: When a barge carrying a concrete silo sank beneath the Hudson in 2014, construction was halted while the silos were replaced, though Cuomo said the crane collapse was not expected to delay construction.
How long the investigation will take: Diana Cortez, Tarrytown-area director for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said her agency had sent two inspectors to the scene to assist in the investigation. A fire boat from New York City headed to the scene Tuesday afternoon to provide an on-the-water staging area for the investigation, the FDNY reported.
“It’s not going to wrap up today, that’s for sure. I have no idea (when it might),” she said.
Will there be any repercussions? Other accidents at the Tappan Zee construction site have resulted in fines — as of July 2015, builders of the new Tappan Zee bridge had paid $9,000 in fines in connection with three health and safety code violations, federal Labor Department records show. Whether or not the crane collapse will result in fines or other repercussions is not yet known.
Reporters Gabriel Rom and Chris Eberhart contributed to this story.
