In six terse sentences following two months of testimony and technical detail, a state court judge in Manhattan cleared crane owner James F. Lomma of all charges related to a 2008 tower crane collapse in New York City that killed a crane operator and a sewer worker.
Family members and friends of the dead workers, packed into a tiny courtroom, remained silent as Judge Daniel Conviser declared Lomma not guilty of all six of the counts that included second degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment.
The verdict represents the third failed high-profile prosecution related to deadly construction accidents in the last 24 months as judges and juries seem reluctant to assign blame to individuals when causes are unclear and the complexity of construction work is explored.