Personal Injury Law

NY City Building Chief Resigns Following Rash of Construction Accidents

In a natural escalation of the recent spike in fatal NY construction accidents and administrative miscues, Patricia J. Lancaster, New York City?s first female building commissioner, resigned on Tuesday, April 22nd. She becomes the first commissioner to leave the Bloomberg administration under a cloud of public controversy. The move comes as Lancaster faced escalating pressure from City Hall and growing criticism from the media and public at large after a series of administrative blunders.

The proverbial ?final straw? may have come after an appearance at a City Council hearing when she admitted that the department had mistakenly issued permits for the East Side building where a crane collapsed last month, killing seven people and injuring 24 others. According to the article, Ms. Lancaster?s performance before the council ?not only cast unwanted light on her department?s bureaucratic failings? and the recent rash of construction accidents, but ?also drew attention to her awkward public manner and unclear explanations that diminished her credibility?.

Full post as published by New York Injury Talk Blog on April 22, 2008 (boomark / email).