New York City, NY : Construction safety director Trevor Loftus, 40, killed during a freak crane accident in Midtown on Friday, April 24, 2015

The steel arm of a balky mini-crane killed a construction safety coordinator Friday as horrified hardhats helplessly watched the freak accident on a Manhattan street.

Trevor Loftus, 40, was pinned between the boom crane and his flatbed truck while checking a mechanical malfunction around 11:45 a.m., according to city officials and witnesses.

One bystander described the chaotic scene after the Irish immigrant was crushed beneath the heavy steel piece.

“Everybody went crazy,” said Miguel Sarmiento, 33, an employee at a nearby parking garage. “The working guys — they were trying to help him.”

The married father of two small daughters died at the scene of the accident on E. 44th St. near Second Ave.

A white blanket covered Loftus’ body, and a witness said his phone remained clutched in his hand when the crane crashed into him.

Sal Ferrara, the dead man’s Yonkers landlord, was stunned to learn about Loftus’ improbable death.

“It’s terrible,” said Ferrara, 54. “He was just the nicest person and a great tenant. He was a hardworking man. He’d leave early in the morning.”

Loftus immigrated to the U.S. about 15 years ago, and became the owner of Kenry Contracting in Yonkers. The victim, in a cruel irony, served as the company’s crane safety coordinator.

The victim’s wife and kids were in Ireland when word of his death spread, according to Ferrara.

Firefighters arrived at the scene and used jacks to lift the boom off Loftus, but were unable to save his life, said FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Carlsen. The city quickly issued a stop-work order for the site.

“The hydraulics malfunctioned, and the victim was caught between the boom and the flatbed itself,” Carlsen said. “We came on the scene. He was trapped in there.”

A local deliveryman said everything seemed good when he first went past the site where a hotel/residence is under construction.

“They were using the crane on the truck to lift materials up to the second or third floor,” Javier Mendez said. “Everything seemed normal . . . it was fine.”

Loftus wound up in harm’s way when he went to check on a “mechanical failure” with the crane, said Buildings Department spokesman Alexander Schnell.

The problem “caused the boom to collapse on the operator,” he said.

The small crane, known as a knuckle boom, is not regulated or inspected by the city as are the larger cranes, Schnell said.

Source :
Construction worker killed in freak crane accident at Midtown construction site …