NY gov: Miracle no serious injuries in massive crane collapse

A massive crane being used to construct the new Tappan Zee Bridge in New York collapsed across the busy span it is replacing on Tuesday afternoon, halting traffic and injuring several people.

{mosads}New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said two cars were involved in minor accidents trying to avoid the wreckage, and one worker suffered minor injuries.
 
“Miraculously, there were no serious injuries whatsoever,” Cuomo said during a press conference on Tuesday. “If you said a boom could fall across the Tappan Zee Bridge at noon, not hit a car, not hit a person, I wouldn’t believe you. I’m going to say a special prayer tonight.”

The machinery toppled over a barge before it collapsed across all lanes of the new span of the bridge, which crosses over the Hudson River at its widest point.

Officials said they won’t know the cause of the accident until after an investigation but maintain that wind was not a factor.

The bridge will remain closed until all the debris is cleared and an inspection of the bridge’s structural integrity has been completed. Officials are urging drivers to use alternative routes and bridges in the interim.

“You don’t know what could have happened underneath the bridge to the supporting structure,” Cuomo said. “It’s a very old bridge. It should have been replaced decades ago.”

The new Tappan Zee Bridge, which has been under construction for several years, is supposed to be finished by 2018.

The new span is being built parallel to the original Tappan Zee Bridge, which opened in 1955.

“The traffic backup is probably the biggest problem we are dealing with, and thank God that’s all we’re dealing with,” Cuomo said.