New York — A man was seriously injured by falling bricks when walking down the sidewalk in Elmhurst, Queens. The bricks fell as they broke away from the facade of the building where reports show the man was possibly an employee. The injured worker suffered a head injury and leg injury during the partial building collapse. Witnesses reported that the man was crushed under the debris and they called 911 immediately. Fire Department of New York and police rescue personnel responded to the building accident scene and extricated the injury victim. The wounded man was then taken by ambulance to Elmhurst hospital’s emergency room for treatment. Reports show the man suffered a traumatic brain injury with concussion as a result of the head injury. Investigators were looking into the cause of the accident to determine if negligent maintenance played a role in the collapse of that section of the wall. Meanwhile, emergency officials note that another building collapsed in a different neighborhood of Queens, NY this past week. That building was apparently an abandoned factory that caved in, sending dangerous debris and construction material flying onto nearby cars. That building accident did not have any reported injuries but officials were still investigating the cause of the collapse. Public safety advocates worry that these may be examples of hazardous conditions that are caused by landlords who don’t keep up with the necessary repairs in order to protect the public. Building authorities in the city say that this building had several construction and safety violations posted against it. Neighborhood activists say that more needs to be done to prevent future accidents and the possible injuries that often come from them. Find out more about the facade collapse and injured pedestrian by checking out this article and video.

Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin Stumberg, USN [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons