New York City's building department said late Saturday that signs so far point to mechanical failure as the cause of the East Village crane accident on Friday.

The damaged construction crane was dismantled Saturday and hauled away for evidence, officials said.

A 4-ton, 13-foot beam from the crane fell 20 stories, landing on top of a yellow cab at Third Avenue and East 13th Street in the East Village near Union Square. Part of the taxi was crushed, and five people were injured as a result.

The driver, Chrislorme Paul, and his passenger escaped with minor injuries. Three construction workers were treated at the scene.

Paul, who is also a minister, told NewsChannel 4 that he owes his life to a higher power.

A section of Third Avenue near the accident site -- closed Friday after the beam tumbled to the street below -- reopened Saturday afternoon, police told NewsChannel 4.

Subways were running normally on Saturday, but the 101 bus had been rerouted as a result of the accident, authorities told Chapman.

Video: Piece Of Crane Plummets To Street

A three-block section of Third Avenue in Manhattan’s East Village remained closed off Saturday morning, after an enomous beam from a large construction crane fell into traffic.

NewsChannel 4s Reg Chapman said crews used two support cranes to stabilize the damaged crane.

New York Fire Department spokesman Tony Sclafani said the steel beam fell from a large construction crane high above the corner of Third Avenue and East 13th Street in the Union Square district.

The cab driver and a passenger were hospitalized. Neither suffered life-threatening injuries. Three construction workers on the fallen crane had to be rescued with harnesses, but they did not suffer serious injuries, officials said.

Several buildings in the area were evacuated, and three blocks along Third Avenue remained sealed off to traffic while authorities checked the construction site, NewsChannel 4 said.

Many residents had camped out in the streets overnight waiting for permission to return home.

Hundreds of residents near the crane accident were still out of their homes Saturday morning. But they were returning home, and businesses were starting to reopen, according to NewsChannel 4.

The area, usually bustling on a Friday night, looked more like a ghost town after restaurants and shops were forced to shut down.

Sclafani described the beam as a rigging that was used to support the crane.

Buildings department representatives said even on Friday that mechanical error caused the crane to fall. They said that workers were trying to disassemble the crane piece by piece when, at the 15th floor of the building, the crane's hydraulics failed, causing one of the pieces to fall about 200 feet.

Crews worked into the night Friday to try to stabilize the crane with the help of two support cranes. The counterbalances at the top of the crane were not yet 100 percent secure, and without them, engineers said the crane could pose further danger.

Buildings Department Commissioner Patricia Lancaster called the process "very delicate."

Efforts to bring in another crane to help stabilize the one that lost the beam were stalled when an officer on a motorcycle nearly collided with a tour bus near Fifth Avenue, police said. The officer fell off the vehicle, which hit a pedestrian.

Both were taken to St. Vincent's Hospital with minor injuries.

NewsChannel 4 reported that the building under construction is owned by the Tishman Co., and the crane by the New York Crane Co. Both companies have received minor violations on the site.

Local Businesses Forced To Close

Dozens of restaurants, movie theaters and other businesses in the area near where the crane fell were forced to close Friday evening.

An area between 12th and 15th streets and Second and Park avenues were sealed off from traffic and people for hours. Police said they closed off the area because they did not want to take any chances.

Immediately after the accident, there were also subway and bus disruptions in the area. The L-train was bypassing the Third Avenue station in both directions.

Rosa Tituania, 84, who was evacuated from her home in a nearby high-rise, waited patiently on the sidewalk, as did hundreds of other people. Tituania wore sweaters from strangers to stay warm.

Resident Rita Gassparia was losing patience and said she was worried about the pets she left behind.

"We were evacuated from our building. We were asked to leave. I kind of wish I didn't walk out. I have upstairs animals that need some care," Gassparia said.

"I can't go home because I have the keys to the store, and I have to hang out to find out if I can reopen tonight or not," said Waheed Khalayleh, who owns a 24-hour deli.

About 400 New York University students were evacuated from the Coral Towers dormitory for safety reasons. Many of the students stayed at another dorm, Palladium, instead. An NYU representative said there were cots set up in the dorm's dining hall in case the students had to remain there all night.