[WonderMomma]

Source: https://www.syracuse.com/state/2023/...york-city.html

1 dead, 5 injured in parking garage collapse in New York City
Published: Apr. 18, 2023, 8:47 p.m.


New York — A parking garage collapsed Tuesday in lower Manhattan’s Financial District, killing one worker, injuring five and crushing cars as concrete floors fell on top of each other like a stack of pancakes, officials said.

Vehicles tumbled into what looked like a frozen stream of sedans and SUVs. People nearby described a fearsome rumbling, followed by screams.

Ahmed Scott arrived to collect his car after work and found a disaster in the making.

In video he shot from across the street, someone off-camera yells, “Guard! 911! 911! There’s a building collapsing on Ann Street,” followed by the sound of something crumpling. About 45 seconds later, two women run out, saying the building fell while they were inside it. A man stands on a fire escape as bystanders try to figure out how to help him get down. He eventually did, Scott said.

“I hope ain’t nobody else in there,” Scott recalled thinking, worrying for the garage workers he’d gotten to know.

To Jadess Speller, a student at nearby Pace University, the collapse “felt like an earthquake -- like the earth opened up inside, like that’s how violent it was.” Other students described seeing cars falling in the building.

One vehicle landed on its end in the garage entrance, a photo posted by Mayor Eric Adams’ office showed.

Authorities believed they had accounted for everyone inside the building, but searches continued Tuesday evening to make sure no one was in any of the squashed cars, Fire Department Chief of Operations John Esposito said. One garage employee was rescued via a neighboring roof after being trapped on an upper floor, he said.

“He was conscious and alert and moving around, calling us. He just couldn’t get down,” Esposito said. Four of the injured were hospitalized and in stable condition, and the fifth refused medical attention, he said.

The garage caved in around 4 p.m., a few blocks from City Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge, and about half a mile (0.8 km) from the New York Stock Exchange. Pace evacuated an adjacent dorm and classroom building, and canceled all evening classes as it assessed the buildings’ safety. School officials sent the displaced students to a student center while working out other accommodations.

Don Mulligan was on the 17th floor of a nearby hotel when he heard a roar like a jet flying overhead and felt the high-rise sway.

“You knew something was happening,” said Mulligan, of Cincinnati. The hotel was evacuated, he said.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the collapse. City Buildings Department records show the three-story structure has been a garage at least since the 1920s, and there are no recent permits for construction.

Messages were left for a parking company that lists the garage as one of its properties.

The collapse left the building “completely unstable,” Adams said at a news conference. Esposito said firefighters had to pull out because of the danger, conducting searches instead with a drone and robotic dog.

The building was “all the way pancaked, collapsed all the way to the cellar floor,” acting Buildings Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik said.

William Flashnick, 19, was in a Pace classroom when he and his friends thought they heard an explosion and ran to a window to look. As they opened the window, a plume of thick dust rose in the air.

When it cleared, they peered down into the parking structure, where cars were tossed asunder and a top deck had cracked open.

Flashnick initially worried for all of their lives. One of his first thoughts was of the World Trade Center, which looms over the neighborhood.

“We freaked out. Given the history of this place, it’s a little scary,” he said.

[kellyhound]

New York City Department of Buildings records show there is one open hazardous violation from 2003 for cracks in the concrete.

The parking garage owned by 57 Ann Street Realty Association had 64 violations with the New York City Buildings Department dating back to 1976.

Almost 50 years old building

[GODREKR]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

New York City Department of Buildings records show there is one open hazardous violation from 2003 for cracks in the concrete.

The parking garage owned by 57 Ann Street Realty Association had 64 violations with the New York City Buildings Department dating back to 1976.

Almost 50 years old building

I don't know why these landlords are allowed to get away with murder. This has been issue in NYC since the beginning of the city. And the city lets these fat cats off with a slap on the wrist while people lose their belongings or their lives. I t's disgusting.

[TenochtitlanPrincess]

And that's how I became afraid of parking garages,

[Pyramid_Head]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

New York City Department of Buildings records show there is one open hazardous violation from 2003 for cracks in the concrete.

The parking garage owned by 57 Ann Street Realty Association had 64 violations with the New York City Buildings Department dating back to 1976.

Almost 50 years old building

I was going to comment, before I scrolled down and saw your comment, that I'd bet anything that someone knew the building was unstable and never acted. They should be charged for the death, damage, and injuries their building caused.

[William May]

Where's my car?

I left it on the 4th level.

Oh......wait...........

3rd level...........


Dang it!


Make that the 2ND LEVEL!.............


Oh, never mind. It's on the ground floor!

[houseoftechno]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

New York City Department of Buildings records show there is one open hazardous violation from 2003 for cracks in the concrete.

That 2003 open violation cites “defective concrete with exposed (rear) cracks.” That is a serious defect for parking structure. To have the structure age 20 more years following discovery of exposed crack is even more serious, even if the cracks were subsequently sealed over.

The reason: The concrete gets it's tensile strength from steel reinforcement. Once it is exposed, the steel can rust entirely away in a short amount of time.

That violation was probably left open all this time because the way to fix that damage is to replace the reinforced concrete with new.