Two men in Brooklyn suffered minor injuries when a construction crane hauling building materials collapsed onto a parked dollar van and onto the parapet of a store Tuesday morning.
The injured men were both sitting in the dollar van when the crane suddenly toppled off a wooden skid onto its side on Glenwood Road just off busy Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush at about 11:15 a.m. on Feb. 18.
Fire officials said the crane operator, working for Newcastle Building Products of New Jersey, tried to compensate for the weight of the materials, but was unable to correct, causing the crane to land on its side.
The rig struck the dollar van and the nearby Express Deli Grocery at 3017 Glenwood Road, shattering the bricks above. The load also shattered onto the sidewalk.
Margaret Bane, working at nearby A.P. Clothing Outlet, said she heard the loud bang.
“I go into that deli all the time, but today, I was busy in the store and heard the loud bang,” she said. “I went out and saw the crane on the van. I could’ve been out there. God is good.”
Firefighters on the scene cordoned off the damaged crane and hazardous materials. They also pumped out the fuel from the damaged vehicle.
The two men were taken to Kings County Hospital with only minor injuries, fire officials said.
The Buildings Department will be investigating the cause of the collapse.
