A crane accident on the other side of the country does not normally catch the attention of any Los Angeles construction accident attorney. However, this particular accident occurred at the World Trade Center construction site, and led to work at the site being party shutdown.

According to reports, the accident occurred when a cable on the crane snapped, leading to a load of girders falling down approximately 40 steel stories below. Astonishingly enough, the girders landed neatly on a flatbed tractor-trailer, perfectly balanced, and looking almost like they had been placed there.

According to construction workers at the scene, there was a loud crash when the cable snapped, and workers began running helter-skelter. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries or fatalities in this accident. However, one man has been reported to have suffered minor injuries.

The girders fell from a height of 40 stories, and the beams weighed about 60 feet in length and weigh several tons. This was an accident that could have easily turned disastrous. After the accident, which occurred early in the morning, the construction site was party shut down. The company which was handling work at the site has begun an investigation into the accident. The Port Authority of New York and the local fire and police departments are also expected to launch their own investigations.

Crane safety at the Big Apple has been a concern for construction accident lawyers. Ironically enough, the collapse at the World Trade Center site coincides with the trial of the crane owner in the deadly crane collapse that occurred in New York in 2008. The owner of the crane is on trial for manslaughter in the accident which killed 2 workers, and is accused of scrimping on repair jobs that would've prevented the accident.

The contractor in charge of a construction site in Milpitas, California that was the center of a tragic trench collapse has had his license suspended. The Contractors’ State License Board has held that US Sino Investments Inc. failed to comply with state workers’ compensation insurance laws. In 2008, the contractor had allegedly filed paperwork claiming that it did not have any employees.

Over last weekend, a 39-year-old carpenter working for US Sino Investments was killed in a trench collapse at the site when a retaining wall collapsed on him. According to reports, at the time of the accident, the carpenter was working near an unsupported 13-foot retaining wall. The wall suddenly collapsed on him, effectively burying him under a wall of dirt.

Not surprisingly to Los Angeles construction accident lawyers, rescuers rushed to the scene, but were unable to reach the worker in time. He succumbed to his injuries. Rescuers could not even reach the worker's body, because the area was deemed unstable. Retrieving the body was a challenge, and emergency personnel had to draw up a safety plan to be able to retrieve the body safely without endangering any rescue personnel.

Just a few days before this construction accident, authorities had come down on the company for failure to obtain a state permit before digging a 30-foot deep trench. Under California laws, contractors who want to dig a trench that is 5 feet or deeper, must obtain a special license.

In fact, three days before the accident, city officials had inspected the property, and had slapped the site with a stop–work notice. The contractor was ordered to immediately cease work on the site. The inspector was especially concerned because of the rainy conditions, and because the foundation did not have shoring in place to prevent a collapse. The contractor ignored the stop-work notice. Barely 3 days later, the carpenter was killed.