Five people were injured after scaffolding collapsed onto a street in Lower Manhattan on Sunday morning.
The incident occurred just after 11.30am, although it’s unclear what caused the 20-foot-high scaffolding to cave in near the intersection of Broadway and Prince Street in SoHo.
Photos quickly flooded social media showing wooden planks and metal scaffolding strewn about with FDNY firefighters on the scene.
Officials said all five injuries are minor and non-life-threatening.
Five people were injured after scaffolding collapsed onto a street in Lower Manhattan on Sunday morning
The incident occurred just after 11.30am, although it’s unclear what caused the 20-foot-high scaffolding to collapse near the intersection of Broadway and Prince in SoHo
Two people were trapped under the scaffolding when it first collapsed, reported The New York Post, but both were rescued. Officials said all five injuries are minor and not life-threatening
Fire officials said the collapse likely happened due to high wind gusts. A wind advisory is in effect in the city until 6pm
Two people were trapped under the scaffolding when it first collapsed, reported The New York Post.
Jonathan Mejia, a vendor at Artists and Fleas, told the newspaper that he and others rushed over to move debris out of the way, managing to free a woman.
‘There was someone underneath that needed my help. We started moving things away. There were maybe 15 of us,’ he said.
‘I saw that her head was cracked open and her leg was folded, almost out of place. She looked at us and said: “What happened?”‘
Fire officials said the collapse likely happened due to high wind gusts. The National Weather Service in New York said a wind advisory is in effect in the city until 6pm.
Photos quickly flooded social media showing wooden planks and metal scaffolding strewn about at the corner of Prince Street and Broadway with FDNY firefighters on the scene
According to FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Lonino, the exterior plywood panels ‘acted as kind of a sail’ and caused the whole structure to collapse
FDNY officials said ‘we’re absolutely’ lucky there weren’t more injuries because the scaffolding collapsed over a subway entrance, but no train had let out at the time
According to FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Lonino, the exterior plywood panels ‘acted as kind of a sail’ and caused the whole structure to collapse.
FDNY officials said ‘we’re absolutely’ lucky there weren’t more injuries because the scaffolding collapsed over a subway entrance, but no train had let out at the time.
‘Scaffolding that is meant to protect residents should not be up long enough that it needs to be inspected over and over again year after year,’ City Councilman Ben Kallos, a Democrat who represents the Upper East Side, said in a statement.
‘We can do a better job at keeping New Yorkers safe, by making sure building repairs are done as soon as possible and scaffolding are up for no longer than they have to be.’