A sidewalk shed collapse in Chelsea on Monday morning left one person critically injured and two others wounded, authorities said.
Fire Department sources said the scaffolding along 29th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues gave way at about 8:20 a.m. on Nov. 18 as numerous people were walking under it. Based on a preliminary investigation, police believe a box truck parked near the scaffolding may have struck the support beam, leading to the devastating collapse.
“It was a horrific sound,” Anne Odell, who lives on 29th street, told amNewYork Metro. “Twenty minutes later, it would have been my husband.”
Eyewitnesses say a group of good Samaritans rushed to dig the victims out.
FDNY sources said one man suffered severe head trauma and remains in critical condition. A large pool of blood could be seen lying beneath the wreckage.
“It was initially a report of five victims. We searched the area, and we only found three victims. All three were transported to the hospital. Two were in serious but non life threatening. One was critical,” Deputy Chief Michael Barvels said.
FDNY used saws and other tools to remove hanging portions of the debris to ensure nobody else was harmed.
This comes amidst an ongoing City Hall initiative dubbed “Shed the Sheds,” which is seeing the renewed removal of longtime sidewalk sheds from around the city.
“I think it’s a racket,” Odell said of the sidewalk sheds. “It’s a money-making racket, and it’s dangerous.“
