TARRYTOWN, N.Y., July 19 (UPI) -- A construction accident on a major roadway near New York City sent five people to the hospital Tuesday and created substantial traffic delays, officials said.
A crane on the Tappan Zee Bridge at Tarrytown collapsed around noon local time Tuesday, injuring a construction worker, the crane operator and three civilians in nearby vehicles.
The extent of the victims' injuries were not immediately reported, but officials said they were not life-threatening.
Traffic was shut down in both directions, officials said, and one ambulance transporting a victim even became stalled in the gridlock, New York's Pix 11 reported.
No vehicles were struck by the falling crane, officials said.
"It's a miracle that the boom fell across six lanes of traffic, cars that are doing 60 to 70 miles an hour, and not one car was hit by the boom," engineering labor representative Jeff Loughlin said.
The bridge, opened in 1955, may have sustained damage but officials weren't certain how much. The crane is part of a $4 billion plan to replace the 60-year-old structure.
"One of the questions is how much if any structural damage did it cause to the bridge and how do they get the crane lifted," Rockland Sheriff's Chief William Barbera said. "There might be long term damage and might take hours to open the bridge."
The Tappan Zee Bridge, located about 25 miles north of New York City, crosses the Hudson River at one of its widest points.
Map courtesy Google
