Meg Roussos / The Dallas Morning News

A construction crane collapsed Saturday at University of Texas at Dallas.

RICHARDSON, Texas -- Two construction workers died when a crane collapsed on the University of Texas at Dallas' Richardson campus Saturday, university officials said.

The accident occurred around 3 p.m. in the 800 block of West Campbell Road in Richardson, NBCDFW.com reported.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Katherine Morales, the university's communications director, said the crane had been used to build a new arts and technology building and was being dismantled when the accident occurred.

See more at NBCDFW.com

The crane came down just as a weather front packing high wind gusts. NBC 5 Meteorologist Grant Johnston said 50-mph winds were blowing at the time, although it is not yet known whether the wind caused the collapse, NBCDFW.com reported.

UT Dallas asked students, staff and faculty to avoid the southeast side of campus.

Campus officials released the following statement: 

"There was an accident on the UT Dallas campus Saturday afternoon during the dismantling of a construction crane at the Arts and Technology Building. Two workers with an outside construction company are reported deceased. There are no reports of UT Dallas students, staff, or faculty injured in this accident."

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A day after a construction boom crane crashed to the ground at a Manhattan work site, killing one construction worker and seriously injuring another, authorities are trying to figure out what caused the accident.

Dozens of workers showed up to the No. 7 subway line extension construction site Wednesday morning, not knowing a stop-work order had been imposed in the aftermath of Tuesday evening's deadly collapse. 

Michael Simmermeyer, 30, of Burlington, N.J., was identified as the worker who died in the accident. One other person was hospitalized in serious condition and three people were treated for minor injuries.

For more, visit NBCNewYork.com

The crane was set up on the second of three levels at the construction site on the West Side, city officials said. The FDNY said the boom came apart in two pieces — one 80 feet long and the other 40 feet long.

Joe Travers, a construction worker, says he knew Simmermeyer. Travers described the man who died in the collapse as "just a nice guy" with whom he sometimes ate lunch.

"It's horrible this tragedy happened to a friend," he said.

Travers and the other workers who showed up to the construction site Wednesday were told to go home and return Thursday to pick up their paychecks.

The NYPD said the accident investigation would be jointly conducted by the Department of Buildings and police.

Jack Sullivan, deputy chief for the FDNY EMS, said it was possible one of the workers had been struck by the crane's boom. The crane operator and someone who worked with him were among those who were injured.

He described the removal of the workers from the construction site, about 60 feet below street level, as "extremely dangerous."

"We had construction material that wasn't stable," he said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority released a statement saying the agency plans to work with all authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

"On behalf of the entire MTA, we pray for the recovery of the workers injured as a result of this tragic accident," the statement said.

In May 2008, a construction crane collapsed on Manhattan's East Side, killing the crane operator and a fellow worker. The crane's owner is currently on trial for manslaughter.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - A crane collapsed Friday morning at the Kent County Correctional Facility in Grand Rapids, Mich., WOOD TV8 reported.

Officials told the station the crane fell into an area that is being constructed near maintenance facilities. The main jail area was not compromised, the station reported. The jail is undergoing renovations that began last year.

According to reports, all construction workers in the area at the time were accounted for, and only one of them suffered a minor injury and was taken to a hospital. Two inmate trustees were also taken to a hospital after suffering minor injuries when they ran from the building, WOOD TV8 reported.

The station also reported the area was secured, including the surrounding neighborhood, to search for any possible gas leaks or electrical problems.

Before collapsing, the crane was moving concrete over to the main building.

The renovation project unveiled last year includes replacing portions constructed in 1958 and 1974 that have outdated heating, plumbing and electrical units.

Kent County Undersheriff John Hess told WOOD TV8 the project is already about 10 weeks behind schedule.

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