Yesterday's building collapse at Broadway and 100th Street is believed to have been caused by the demolition company, which put a backhoe on the structure it was tearing down, causing stress and the building to buckle. The collapse occured at 9:23AM, and many residents and shop owners in the neighborhood rushed to help firefighters and police officers with rescue efforts. Five people (waiting for a bus, walking down the street) and five firefighters were injured, but no one was seriously hurt or killed. Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said the damage could have been a lot worse, and of course, some New Yorkers were utterly freaked out. Here's an alarmist quote from Raquel Gayle, who told the NY Times, "Boom, I saw rocks falling. I was petrified; I thought it was like London, with the terrorist attacks." Oh, dear.
The Department of Buildings issued violations to the demolition company, Safeway Environmental Corp., which has a few mob connections, and asked them to stop work on a few of their projects. Extell, the development company that owns the space, trying to make way for highrise apartment buildings that the neighborhood has protested, says they are concerned with the safety of those injured and will cooperate with any investigations.
The Post suggests that the baby was saved by her $600 stroller and the NY Times writes about baby Abigail Lurensky's caring nanny, Brunilda Tirado; the Mayor visited little Abigail and said, "The baby's in great shape. I held the baby and oohed and aahed. The baby smiled a lot." The baby could have been gassy, Mayor B.
Photograph from Newsday
