Crane owner cleared in fatal 2008 collapse
(AP) - A construction crane owner has been acquitted of manslaughter and all other charges in a collapse that killed two workers in New York City. A judge cleared James Lomma Thursday. Lomma chose not
News 12 Staff
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Apr 26, 2012, 7:53 PM
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Updated 4,376 days ago
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(AP) - A construction crane owner has been acquitted of manslaughter and all other charges in a collapse that killed two workers in New York City.
A judge cleared James Lomma Thursday. Lomma chose not to have a jury in the only criminal trial stemming from the May 2008 accident in Manhattan.
Prosecutors say the 200-foot-tall crane fell because Lomma got a bargain-basement repair on a crucial component.
Lomma's lawyers say he got the part fixed responsibly. They say the operator's moves destabilized the crane.
The operator and a worker on the ground were killed.
Their deaths came two months after another crane collapsed and killed seven people elsewhere in Manhattan. The incidents spurred new safety measures.
Another crane collapsed in Manhattan and killed a worker this month.
