NYC driver escapes with minor injuries as crane crushes car

It’s not hard to find all manner of “that looked expensive” construction equipment failure videos online, and many times it’s a stretch to believe anyone could survive what often look like total disasters. One New York woman found herself on the business end of such a failure earlier this week when a construction crane collapsed, crushing her Ford Focus hatchback.

Danielle Cruz was waiting at a traffic light on Tuesday when a boom crane arm snapped and came down on her car. Film of the incident is clear and dramatic, and makes it appear that the car is completely smashed in front. Cruz had stopped in the exact right spot to avoid death, it seems, because she escaped with only a minor hand injury and a cut lip. FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief John Sarracco told ABC7  that she was “going to be just fine.”

In the video, we can see a person emerge from behind a concrete barrier holding their head, but it’s unclear if the person is injured or just seriously happy to still have a head. The crane took down a traffic light and another pole, but the building and other structures appear undamaged. The Ford Focus took the brunt of the damage, and while we’re not insurance adjusters, it’s likely a total loss.

That said, people aren’t always so lucky when a piece of heavy equipment fails in such a densely populated city. In 2016, a man was killed and three injured when a crane collapsed in Lower Manhattan, and almost a decade before that, in 2008, a crane collapse killed seven and injured 24 others.