As an early Wednesday evening storm soaked commuters, torrential rains during the night caused part of a wall beneath the Brooklyn Bridge to collapse, injuring five people, a New York City fire official said. The Department of Transportation is investigating the cause of the collapse.
The New York City Department of Transportation said the collapse of a section of a stone facade, a decorative piece of wall inside an underpass of the bridge on the Brooklyn side, occurred just before 8 p.m. Wednesday during the passing thunder shower, Reuters reported. It involved a roughly 25-foot wide section of facade, New York City Fire Department spokesman Jim Long said. "There is nothing structurally wrong with the bridge," Long said, adding that the people who were injured were not hit with the heavier chunks of falling debris.
As 52-year-old Jerome Dilligard waited for the rain to stop while taking shelter under the Brooklyn bridge with his family, his wife noticed water seeping out from between the heavy stones, according to New York Daily News. As soon as Dilligard, a retired correction officer, left to run for their nearby car, the wall collapsed - burying his wife Teresa, and their 8-year-old daughter Kaylah, as well as his 30-year-old daughter LaToya Jackson, her son Khmani, 10, and her 4-month-old baby, Kiarra Jackson, who got knocked to the street, her grandfather said.
"A stranger picked her up," Dilligard said. "They were right under the wall when it came down. My wife had to dig them all out. It's a miracle they got out with their lives." The family was brought to Bellevue Hospital and treated for minor injuries.
Even though five people suffered minor injuries, the collapse did not cause any significant structural damage. "We will immediately conduct a full inspection of all the facades, and will continue to thoroughly inspect our entire bridge inventory," a Department of Transportation spokesman said.
All this astounding weather is thanks to the effects of Hurricane Arthur, which is currently hulking over the Eastern seaboard and messing with your holiday plans.
