Jury awards $47.8 million in NYC crane collapse civil case
Source: AP
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City jury on Thursday awarded $47.8 million to the families of two men killed in 2008 when a construction crane collapsed.
The jury ordered James Lomma, the owner of the crane, and his companies to pay $32 million to the family of Ramadan Kurtaj and $15.8 million to the family of Donald Leo.
In the May 2008 collapse on Manhattan's Upper East Side, parts of a 200-foot-tall crane snapped off and fell. Leo was operating the crane when it collapsed and he fell to his death. Kurtaj was underneath and was crushed.
The families' attorneys say Lomma was responsible because he allowed an inferior repair to the crane. Lomma's attorneys say others were at fault, including operator Leo.
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