We spot at least one broken plank in this shot. (Photo by Kevin H.)
In the past week we've received three alerts of people falling through the boardwalk in Coney Island. The latest came last night just before midnight, when a woman went through the boardwalk at West 27th Street, and needed to be rescued when her leg got stuck. Another came on July 1st, on the boardwalk at West 17th Street, when a woman "fell into the boardwalk" and got "stuck there."
The NY Post reported on the July 1st incident, noting that the woman "stepped on a loose plank that gave way, sending her leg plunging through the hole up to her knee." Rescuers spent 15 minutes freeing her from the iconic wooden walkway (which will one day be mostly plastic and concrete).
We've reached out to the Parks Department (who have recognized a need for repair in the past) for a comment, and will update when/if we hear back. Activists have blamed them for the dilapidated boardwalk—Todd Dobrin of Friends of the Boardwalk says, “This is 100 percent the Parks Department’s fault. If you don’t maintain something, it’ll fall apart.” He notes that the "war zone” is located between West 23rd and West 27th streets, but we'd be careful along the entire length of it.
Maybe it's just safer if we use the thing as an iPod stand/amplifier?
