CRANE CRASH: A file photo of the crane crash on Manhattan's Upper East Side on March 15, 2008. (Tim McDevitt/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORK—The owner of a crane company was charged with manslaughter and charges related to a crane crash that killed two workers on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in 2008.

James Lomma and a mechanic, Tibor Varganyi, were indicted on Monday at the state Supreme Court in Manhattan. Lomma's two companies New York Crane & Equipment Corp. and J.F. Lomma Inc. also face charges.

On March 15, 2008, a part of a giant crane broke and smashed into an apartment building on the Upper East Side near 333 E. 91st St. Charges include reckless endangerment, assault, and criminally negligent homicide in connection with the crane crash.

Lomma and Varganyi both pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Paul Shechtman, the attorney for the two companies, said that “What occurred here was an accident,” in reference to the crane crash, according to an Associated Press report. The two defendants declined to comment.

Varganyi was released without bail and Lomma has to pay a $100,000 bail in order to be released. The next scheduled hearing for the two is in April.

“The construction industry depends on strict adherence to the rules to ensure the safety of the citizens in a city as densely inhabited as Manhattan,” said District Attorney Vance. “When safety is sacrificed for profit, the public bears the risk of harm. We cannot allow individuals and firms to conduct themselves in gross violation of applicable regulations and industry standards.”

Vance cited an investigation by the Department of Investigation, which said the company cut corners to repair the crane before the crash occurred. DOI Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn said in a statement that the two men were “shortsighted” when the owners repaired the crane.

This is the second high-rise crane accident in recent years. Two months before this accident occurred, another crane collapsed in another part of Manhattan and killed seven people.

The district attorney added that before the crane crashed, Lomma was trying to find a cheap and easy way to repair the crane to save money. His company sought to repair the turntable on the crane with replacements ranging between $34,000 and $120,000 to repair. The delivery would have taken around seven months to two years to deliver the part.

Lomma's company was paying around $50,000 per month to rent the crane, even while it was in disrepair.

However, according to the DA's office, Lomma went for the lowest bidder and bought a $20,000 part fabricated from the Chinese firm RTR Bearing, who shipped the part to his company in three months.

According to the DA, the company wasn't certified to do welding work and Lomma didn't use an engineer to look over the work. The welds were “deficient” according to the statement. The charges against Lomma also include misleading the Department of Buildings before undertaking necessary repairs.

Lomma's lawyer asserted that his client didn't lie to anyone, according to an AP report.