Verdict expected in manslaughter case in NYC crane collapse that killed 7, injured many

Verdict expected in NYC crane-collapse trial

NEW YORK — A New York City judge is close to a decision in a manslaughter case surrounding one of the nation’s deadliest construction crane collapses.

The judge plans to issue a verdict Thursday at the trial of rigger William Rapetti.

The towering rig came down in Manhattan on March 15, 2008, killing seven people and injuring two dozen. A brownstone was crushed and several other buildings damaged in a neighborhood near the U.N. headquarters.

The collapse and others in New York and elsewhere in the ensuing months put crane safety under a microscope.

In New York, they led to new safety measures and false-records and bribery cases against some inspectors.