When a 200-foot tall crane smashed through Manhattan, it sent seven people to their deaths and hundreds of others into mourning. The metal monster of a construction crane was not secured in a safe way, and tore through the busy streets of New York City back in 2008. Since that fateful day almost 4 years ago, courts have been battling with the inspector who claims that he examined the crane before it collapsed and that everything looked safe. The man in question, a middle-aged man with the initials E.M., was acquitted of all charges related to the crane on July 29^th, 2012. E.M. may have avoided charges related to the crane, but he certainly didn’t evade all legal issues.

He was still convicted of six other charges related to the incident. According to the court findings, E.M. falsified records about inspections on two other dates preceding the crane disaster and even used a false instrument for filing. He may end up with four or more years in prison if he is charged with the crimes he has been battling in court. The accident prompted new safety measures when dealing with heavy construction equipment like cranes in metropolitan areas, and caused the city buildings commissioner to leave his position. Prosecutors railed after E.M. in the personal injury and wrongful death suit, arguing that he was a laggard that was exposed by the danger of the crane.

The state Supreme Court delivered that E.M.’s arrest was an example of the city’s desire to expose any misconduct. While he agreed that an inspection probably wouldn’t have saved the crane from its dangerous fall, he believes that the man should have done a better job with legal inspections on other occasions. The justice declared that E.M should be acquitted of all charges that were related to the crane because the lawyers could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he had filed false papers with the city regarding an inspection of the equipment. While some of the public wanted E.M. charged with tampering with public records, he could not be convicted of this action because no previously created public records existed at the time.

According to E.M.’s testimony, he checked the crane a few days before its collapse in March 15, 2008. The city buildings commissioner at the time said that E.M. did not check the crane, but then told others he did in a mixed opinion that left the court perplexed. Eventually, E.M. was accused of lying on his work logs. He would fudge his work hours for more pay, and say that he was out on inspection when cell phone GPS records prove that he was inside of his home. Many times the man would avoid working but still file his reports. E.M. resigned from his job not long after the incident took place.

After the 2008 collapse, another Manhattan crane also toppled to the ground. This incident occurred on the Upper East Side, and killed two construction workers. E.M. continues to appear in court for both criminal and personal injury cases, where he is held responsible for failing in the precautionary safety measures that should be taken for construction workers on the job. If you have been involved in a construction accident like this one that occurred because a safety inspector failed to do his job, you should file a claim. With the help of an expert, local personal injury attorney, you can get the representation you need to seek the damages you deserve. Talk to someone at a firm near you for more information!