Don’t Settle For Less

Don’t Settle For Less

Tragedy Narrowly Avoided in Sidewalk Accident in New York City

On Behalf of | Dec 6, 2016 | Construction Accidents

Sidewalk sheds are erected all over New York City for the safety of pedestrians. They’re designed to protect people from falling debris at job sites. Unfortunately, many of those sheds outlive their usefulness or are constructed improperly to begin with and pose hazards to public safety. That’s a lesson demonstrated by a harrowing sidewalk accident in New York City this past week. A shed erected at 151 Hudson Street collapsed midday on November 30th showering the building’s loading dock, the adjacent sidewalk, and part of the street with steel pipes, plywood, and bits of broken lumber.

Multiple units from the FDNY arrived on scene after the collapse was reported. Miraculously, no one had been injured by the falling debris. However, because of the amount debris that had fallen, traffic was snarled for hours before the roadway could be cleared. In fact, one of the FDNY’s ladder trucks was actually used to block the street to prevent motorist from running over loose boards, nails, bolts and other construction debris.

Department of Building documentation shows that the contractor in charge of renovations at the job sites, PCS Engineering, applied for a permit to erect the sidewalk shed in July of 2015. While DOB records show that there are no open violations at 151 Hudson, there have been multiple complaints in the past of debris (including bricks) falling from above.

Had the sidewalk shed collapsed just a moment or two later, this story could have had a much more tragic ending. Hundreds of pounds of building materials would have come crashing down to the sidewalk and would have crushed any innocent passerby or any vehicle driving by at the time.

Whether there were injuries or not, DOB will investigate and issue citations if any rules or regulations were violated.

If you’ve been injured by falling debris, contact an experienced New York City sidewalk accident attorney to get the compensation you deserve for your pain and suffering, unpaid medical bills and lost wages. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel for a free consultation at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 today.

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