Boom Truck Collapses Near Penn Station, 1 Hurt: Officials

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A boom truck's crane collapsed onto the sidewalk near Penn Station on Monday night, injuring one person, city officials said.

The truck-mounted crane was delivering scaffolding materials to a site near West 34th Street and Seventh Avenue around 10:30 p.m. when the truck's "boom" (the crane-like device) broke, a spokesman for the city Department of Buildings said. A boom truck does not require a permit from the Department Of Buildings to operate and is not subject to the same level of inspections as a construction crane.

The crane operator suffered minor injuries during the collapse, police said. The collapse also caused a large leak of hydraulic fluid in the area, which required Hazmat to respond to the scene, police said.

A Department of Buildings investigation into the collapse is ongoing, a spokesman told Patch.

West 34th Street and Seventh Avenue was shut down until about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday as workers cleared the collapsed boom from the scene.