NYC crane collapse: Woman sues after car she was driving along Hudson Yards site had debris fall on it as she 'she braced in terror'
- Marcy Olin, 59, is suing multiple construction companies, crane companies and the operator of the crane, Christopher Van Duyne
- The lawsuit claims debris was raining down on Olin as she sat in her car and 'braced in terror believing she was going to die'
- Olin's lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald said Thursday the suit is meant to hold accountable those responsible for its collapse, and to seek compensation
A New York City woman is now suing the operator and construction company behind the crane collapse in midtown Manhattan last month saying she believed she was going to die and 'she braced in terror' as debris rained down as she sat in a car.
Marcy Olin, 59, and her husband, Michael Tierney, are suing multiple construction companies, crane companies and the operator of the crane, Christopher Van Duyne, over the disaster. It's the first lawsuit related to the collapse.
According to the lawsuit, Olin, of New York, observed, heard and felt the collapsing crane and other debris crash onto her vehicle.
Olin 'reasonably and justifiably feared that the collapsing Crane and/or debris from it would cause her bodily harm or kill her,' the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit claimed.
It's not the first legal trouble for the operator and the company as both have paid after deaths at construction sites.
The debris is seen spewing on to the streets of Hudson Yards on Wednesday morning
A damaged window from Mary Olin's car as a result of the crane collapse
'We filed today's lawsuit - which we believe to be the first filed arising from last week's disaster - to obtain answers to why the 550 Tenth Avenue Project's crane caught fire and collapsed, to hold accountable those responsible for its collapse, and to seek compensation for our injured clients,' Olin's lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement Thursday.
'All of us rightly expect that cranes will be constructed safely, inspected regularly and properly, and operated carefully to avoid disasters such as the one we witnessed in Manhattan last week,' the lawyer said.
The amount of money that Olin and Tierney seek was not included in the lawsuit first reported by the New York Post.
A dozen people, including two firefighters, were injured after the construction crane caught fire, collapsed and struck the side of another skyscraper on July 26, before falling onto a rush-hour Manhattan street as terrified commuters ran for their lives.
The blazing crane was attached to a luxury 47 story apartment building under construction at 550 10th Avenue, with the 16-tonnes of concrete it was carrying also smashed onto the street below.
Mary Olin was driving her car on 10th Avenue when the crane fell and debris crashed into her car.
'The collapsing Crane and other debris crashed violently into the ground and surrounding areas that it sounded like explosion and shook the ground and her,' the suit read.
It is unclear if Olin was injured in the collapse, and the suit does not mention any physical trauma.
Pictured: The crane on fire. The fire heated up the cable of the crane, which was holding 16-tonnes of concrete, causing it to snap and trigger the collapse, FDNY deputy commissioner explained
A photo shot from uptown shows the crane ablaze with the skyscrapers of Hudson Yards behind it
A burning Manhattan construction crane is pictured collapsing and striking the side of a residential skyscraper on 10th Avenue, sending debris spraying onto the sidewalk below
The FDNY posted an image of their firefighters tackling the blaze this morning
First responders spray water on tall construction crane
The dramatic incident sent debris spraying onto the streets - injuring multiple people below - while storefronts had their glass shattered.
A total of 12 people have been injured. Two victims were in a serious condition - including one of the two firefighters who are among the injured.
Michael Rael, who saw the drama, told DailyMail.com: 'We finished a delivery and my foreman said ‘come outside’ and I looked up and the crane was on fire.
'Once we seen the fire truck pull up we ran down to the cellar because the pipe they connect to we, we work on it, so we released the air out of the pipe for the fire department so when they hook the hose up the water goes to them.
'So we ran down there, we weren’t even there for two minutes and then I felt the boom the crane fell while we were in the cellar.
'The first thing I felt was the ceilings, the walls, the ground all shaking, I can only assume that’s what it’s like to be in an earthquake.'
The blazing crane was attached to a luxury 47 story apartment building under construction at 550 10th Avenue, with the 16-tos of concrete it was carrying also smashed onto the street below.
It was seen striking the side of the 55-floor 555 10th Avenue, an apartment building opposite.
Residents living with a view of the scene told DailyMail.com they heard screams from the construction workers at around 7.15am.
The resident told DailyMail.com: 'We saw stretchers and ambulances so there are injuries on the ground. The stores under have also had all their windows broken.
The fire heated up the cable of the crane, which was holding 16-tonnes of concrete, causing it to snap and trigger the collapse, FDNY deputy commissioner explained.
Construction worker Richard Paz told DailyMail.com that a cable being used to carry concrete to the top of the site overheated just before the fire broke out, although an official cause of the blaze is still being investigated.
Another close-up image shows the crane ablaze and billowing black smoke into the clear morning sky. A spray of water being hosed onto the flames is visible on the left
People walk on with the destruction from the crane in the background
Part of a building that was impacted by the crane's collapse
Firefighters and investigators stand around the debris, which littered the Manhattan street
Terrifying footage showed the crane collapse and strike a glass residential skyscraper opposite - while people staying in nearby hotels and apartment blocks were quickly evacuated.
People covered in blood were stretchered into ambulances as screams rung out from construction workers and commuters on ground level, eyewitnesses said.
Over 200 firefighters rushed up to a nearby balcony and desperately battled the inferno - which blazed 500 feet above the Manhattan skyline this morning.
The crane is owned by New Jersey-based Lomma, whose late founder James Lomma was ordered to pay $96million to two construction workers killed when another of his cranes collapsed in 2008.
The operator at the helm of the construction crane that collapsed had his operating license previously suspended and was fined $25,000 when a colleague plummeted 48 stories to his death in 2008.
Chris Van Duyne, 62, narrowly escaped with his life when the crane caught fire before collapsing.
Van Duyne was hit with administrative charges and had his crane operating license suspended for eight months alongside his brother James Van Duyne after Anthony Esposito, 48, fell and died on September 4, 2008, during the construction of Silverstein Towers at 600 West 42nd Street.
Chris Van Duyne, 62, (pictured after his crane collapsed) narrowly escaped with his life when the crane he was operating caught fire before collapsing and injuring 12 people on the Manhattan sidewalks
The brothers had cut the guardrail of a work platform which was attached to the tower crane, a joint investigation between the Department of Investigations and Department of Buildings found.
Esposito, who was married with three kids, was helping the brothers dismantle the crane when he lost his footing and fell to his death.
He was wearing a safety harness but it was not attached, reported New York Post at the time.
Van Duyne and his brother were both charged with endangering public safety and violating city construction codes and fined $25,000 each, it was reported at the time.
They were both forced to complete 30 hours of DOB safety training and had their crane operating license suspended for eight months.
In the video, a worker on the construction site is heard saying 'it's on fire' and 'he's coming down' as his colleague Van Duyne makes his way down a ladder - with smoke seen billowing out the top of the burning crane.
An employee, who is recording the video, then says: 'Oh s**** that s*** is coming off.'
As he makes his escape, fellow construction employees joke and begin to chant: 'We don't need no water let the motherf****r burn.'
