NEW YORK (AP) - New York City engineers and fire department inspectors plan to climb 74 flights of stairs to examine a Manhattan construction crane that's dangling from a luxury high-rise as Hurricane Sandy approaches.
The Parker Meridien hotel was among area buildings being evacuated as a precaution. Streets also have been cleared.
Buildings department spokesman Tony Sclafani said Monday that the inspection is a daunting task, but the experts are "the best of the best."
The cause of the accident isn't known. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said all construction cranes were inspected before the storm to make sure they were secure.
It's unclear whether there was a problem with the way the crane was secured or whether the wind simply was so strong that it bent the rig.
Meteorologists think the wind might have been blowing 95 mph that far above the ground.
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