Builders who were involved in a fatal 2008 construction accident involving a crane in Manhattan want their settlements kept secret, the Associated Press reports.

New York construction accident lawyers remember like it was yesterday when news hit that a crane had fallen through a building, killing seven people just a few blocks from the United Nations. The major accident terrified many New Yorkers as people died and cars were crushed -- panic set in for many people in the neighborhood1170115_crane.jpg.

New York crane accidents are extremely dangerous and, as shown by this accident, can be deadly. Workers must be properly trained not to overload cranes because one wrong move can be devastating.

According to the news article, a builder and developer are putting up a fight to ensure that the public doesn't see the details of the settlements they reach with the families of six dead construction workers. But a judge has ordered that the information be public.

An appeal of the judge's order will further delay the case. In March 2008, a 200-foot crane toppled near the United Nations, killing six workers and a woman who was vacationing in the city from Florida. There are many more lawsuits pending, from others injured but not killed and from people whose cars or other property was destroyed.

In the last two years, the workers lawsuits were settled. Attorneys for other plaintiffs say that by keeping the settlements out of public view, they don't know how much the companies would pay to settle the cases and keep them out of court. But the companies have argued that by putting the settlements into public view, it would cripple future settlement negotiations.

This isn't the first crane tragedy in New York City. In fact, just two months after this accident, another New York crane accident turned deadly as a crane toppled, crushing a building -- heavy bricks fell to the ground, crushing cars and killing two workers.

In 2010, another crane tilted and hit a 25-story building near Wall Street. Luckily, no one was injured.

Cranes are important in a place like New York City, where tall buildings require tall equipment to work on them. But these construction accidents are avoidable. Proper training, properly securing this machinery and knowing their limits is critical.

The Manhattan injury lawyers at Antin, Ehrlich & Epstein can be reached toll free at 888-563-4213.