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| Seattle Eyes Its Crane-Filled Skyline After a Deadly Accident | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| SEATTLE — For Seattle, a tech boomtown anxious about how fast it is growing, one distinction has been bittersweet: More giant construction cranes crowding its skyline than in any other city in the country, for three years running. The cranes symbolize a building frenzy driven by an influx of high-paying tech jobs that most cities would envy — but one that has also brought worsening traffic jams, soaring housing costs and tear-down threats to popular landmarks. | SEATTLE — For Seattle, a tech boomtown anxious about how fast it is growing, one distinction has been bittersweet: More giant construction cranes crowding its skyline than in any other city in the country, for three years running. The cranes symbolize a building frenzy driven by an influx of high-paying tech jobs that most cities would envy — but one that has also brought worsening traffic jams, soaring housing costs and tear-down threats to popular landmarks. |
| The cranes themselves turned menacing on Saturday, when pieces of one came crashing down from atop a building being built for Google, killing two ironworkers who were involved with taking the crane apart and two passers-by on the busy street below. | The cranes themselves turned menacing on Saturday, when pieces of one came crashing down from atop a building being built for Google, killing two ironworkers who were involved with taking the crane apart and two passers-by on the busy street below. |
| Residents said on Sunday that they were withholding judgment until more is known about the cause of the accident, which happened on a day with erratic weather. But they are resigned to the reality that Seattle will be one giant construction site for the foreseeable future. | Residents said on Sunday that they were withholding judgment until more is known about the cause of the accident, which happened on a day with erratic weather. But they are resigned to the reality that Seattle will be one giant construction site for the foreseeable future. |
| “It’s the city of cranes,” said Daniel Kahane, a violin teacher who lives on a boat on Lake Union, near the accident site. “They are a necessity if we want to grow this city. I walk under them, but I do have my eyes to the sky.” | “It’s the city of cranes,” said Daniel Kahane, a violin teacher who lives on a boat on Lake Union, near the accident site. “They are a necessity if we want to grow this city. I walk under them, but I do have my eyes to the sky.” |
| The latest building craze was touched off largely by Amazon, which decided in 2007 to locate its headquarters in the South Lake Union district just north of downtown. Other big tech companies followed, and so many streets now have blocked lanes or closed sidewalks to accommodate construction that navigating parts of the core business district can feel like a game of Frogger. | The latest building craze was touched off largely by Amazon, which decided in 2007 to locate its headquarters in the South Lake Union district just north of downtown. Other big tech companies followed, and so many streets now have blocked lanes or closed sidewalks to accommodate construction that navigating parts of the core business district can feel like a game of Frogger. |
| Tiara Jewell and her family used to live in South Lake Union, where she could count 16 cranes from her apartment window. But they moved after two buildings on either side of theirs were torn down to make way for large new ones. “I was concerned about having to walk under the construction site, and with all the debris,” Ms. Jewell said. | Tiara Jewell and her family used to live in South Lake Union, where she could count 16 cranes from her apartment window. But they moved after two buildings on either side of theirs were torn down to make way for large new ones. “I was concerned about having to walk under the construction site, and with all the debris,” Ms. Jewell said. |
| She used to take precautions like crossing the street to stay away from building sites, she said, but “it has become so ubiquitous, you can’t avoid it.” But now, she said, “I shouldn’t take anything for granted.” | She used to take precautions like crossing the street to stay away from building sites, she said, but “it has become so ubiquitous, you can’t avoid it.” But now, she said, “I shouldn’t take anything for granted.” |
| Ms. Jewell said she was a block away from the accident site a few hours before the crane fell down on Saturday, taking her son for vaccinations and then a doughnut afterward as a reward. When she heard about the accident, she was shaken. | Ms. Jewell said she was a block away from the accident site a few hours before the crane fell down on Saturday, taking her son for vaccinations and then a doughnut afterward as a reward. When she heard about the accident, she was shaken. |
| “If everything is moving so fast, are we actually taking the time to make sure things are safe?” she said. | “If everything is moving so fast, are we actually taking the time to make sure things are safe?” she said. |
| By Sunday morning, crews had cleared the crushed cars and crane debris from Mercer Street, a major thoroughfare that passes the accident site and connects to Interstate 5. Much of the equipment used for the cleanup was gone by late afternoon. Officials said Mercer Street may be reopened for the Monday evening commute. | By Sunday morning, crews had cleared the crushed cars and crane debris from Mercer Street, a major thoroughfare that passes the accident site and connects to Interstate 5. Much of the equipment used for the cleanup was gone by late afternoon. Officials said Mercer Street may be reopened for the Monday evening commute. |
| And overhead, construction crews were once again taking apart the stricken crane, lowering sections that flatbed trucks hauled away to a storage lot. | And overhead, construction crews were once again taking apart the stricken crane, lowering sections that flatbed trucks hauled away to a storage lot. |
| King County officials have not released the names of the four people killed, but on Sunday, Seattle Pacific University, a Christian college a few miles north of downtown, said that one of them was Sarah Wong, a freshman who intended to major in nursing. She was in a car driving down Mercer Street that was struck by part of the falling crane. | King County officials have not released the names of the four people killed, but on Sunday, Seattle Pacific University, a Christian college a few miles north of downtown, said that one of them was Sarah Wong, a freshman who intended to major in nursing. She was in a car driving down Mercer Street that was struck by part of the falling crane. |
| “While we grieve the sudden and tragic loss of our precious student, we draw comfort from each other, our strong community of faith, and God’s presence with us in times of sorrow,” the school said in a statement. | “While we grieve the sudden and tragic loss of our precious student, we draw comfort from each other, our strong community of faith, and God’s presence with us in times of sorrow,” the school said in a statement. |
| The Washington Department of Labor and Industries is responsible for investigating the accident. Tim Church, a spokesman for the department, said that when he reached the scene late Saturday, “it looked like something had exploded.” Machinery was strewn across the street, he said, and the roofs of cars had been ripped open by rescue workers to free people inside. | The Washington Department of Labor and Industries is responsible for investigating the accident. Tim Church, a spokesman for the department, said that when he reached the scene late Saturday, “it looked like something had exploded.” Machinery was strewn across the street, he said, and the roofs of cars had been ripped open by rescue workers to free people inside. |
| Mr. Church said four companies would be involved in the investigation: GLY Construction, the general contractor on the building; Morrow Equipment, which owned the crane; Northwest Tower Crane Service, which was disassembling it; and Omega Rigging and Machinery Moving, whose mobile crane was being used to lower detached sections. “You can see there are a lot of people involved, and it was very complex,” he said. | Mr. Church said four companies would be involved in the investigation: GLY Construction, the general contractor on the building; Morrow Equipment, which owned the crane; Northwest Tower Crane Service, which was disassembling it; and Omega Rigging and Machinery Moving, whose mobile crane was being used to lower detached sections. “You can see there are a lot of people involved, and it was very complex,” he said. |
| GLY said in a statement that it was “heartbroken” by the accident, and that it and its relevant subcontractors are “cooperating fully with investigators and assisting the local authorities.” | GLY said in a statement that it was “heartbroken” by the accident, and that it and its relevant subcontractors are “cooperating fully with investigators and assisting the local authorities.” |
| The state tightened the regulation of cranes after one collapsed in Bellevue in 2006, killing a Microsoft lawyer in his apartment. The state got more resources for overseeing cranes after that, but “with 120 tower cranes and seven investigators, you can tell they are very busy all the time,” Mr. Church said. | The state tightened the regulation of cranes after one collapsed in Bellevue in 2006, killing a Microsoft lawyer in his apartment. The state got more resources for overseeing cranes after that, but “with 120 tower cranes and seven investigators, you can tell they are very busy all the time,” Mr. Church said. |
| It may be a while before the cause of Saturday’s accident is determined. The 2006 investigation, which took roughly six months, ultimately cited faulty design of the crane’s base. | It may be a while before the cause of Saturday’s accident is determined. The 2006 investigation, which took roughly six months, ultimately cited faulty design of the crane’s base. |
| For years, much of South Lake Union was a hodgepodge of warehouses, car repair shops and light industry. Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft, bought a lot of the land in the district and hoped to turn it into Seattle’s version of Central Park, but the public voted down the plans. Mr. Allen’s real estate company, Vulcan, then had ideas about developing it as a medical research center, before Amazon agreed to use much of the land for its headquarters campus. | For years, much of South Lake Union was a hodgepodge of warehouses, car repair shops and light industry. Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft, bought a lot of the land in the district and hoped to turn it into Seattle’s version of Central Park, but the public voted down the plans. Mr. Allen’s real estate company, Vulcan, then had ideas about developing it as a medical research center, before Amazon agreed to use much of the land for its headquarters campus. |
| Drawn by the engineering and technical talent that Amazon and Microsoft built up in the region, more than a dozen other major tech companies have built major outposts in Seattle, including Facebook and Uber. | Drawn by the engineering and technical talent that Amazon and Microsoft built up in the region, more than a dozen other major tech companies have built major outposts in Seattle, including Facebook and Uber. |
| Google’s Seattle headquarters was being developed by Vulcan on a prominent spot, the last available development site just south of Lake Union. People who regularly pass through the area had seen indications recently that the building was nearly finished and that Google would soon be moving in. | Google’s Seattle headquarters was being developed by Vulcan on a prominent spot, the last available development site just south of Lake Union. People who regularly pass through the area had seen indications recently that the building was nearly finished and that Google would soon be moving in. |
| Alex Watson, who operates a streetcar that passes by the building, said he saw last week that workers had hung a large, brightly colored logo for Google’s cloud division on the facade. | Alex Watson, who operates a streetcar that passes by the building, said he saw last week that workers had hung a large, brightly colored logo for Google’s cloud division on the facade. |
| Mr. Watson said he had once trained to be a crane operator, so he was interested in cranes and had hoped on Saturday morning to catch glimpses of the big one on the Google building being dismantled. The horizontal boom was already down, he said, but by the time he had to move on, the vertical tower was still standing. | Mr. Watson said he had once trained to be a crane operator, so he was interested in cranes and had hoped on Saturday morning to catch glimpses of the big one on the Google building being dismantled. The horizontal boom was already down, he said, but by the time he had to move on, the vertical tower was still standing. |
| Shaking his head on Sunday at the scale of the accident, he said, “Imagine a semi-truck fell down off a 10-story building onto the street.” | Shaking his head on Sunday at the scale of the accident, he said, “Imagine a semi-truck fell down off a 10-story building onto the street.” |
| But the city has to keep building just the same, he said: “It’s life, it’s what we need.” | But the city has to keep building just the same, he said: “It’s life, it’s what we need.” |