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Boy Injured After Falling Through Harlem Sidewalk Grate
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 22, 2009
Modified Jul 22, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 22, 2009
Modified Jul 22, 2009
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Yesterday afternoon, a 10-year-old fell through a sidewalk grate while walking with his family in Harlem. According to the Daily News, Aboubaca Meite had been running on Morningside Avenue near 125th Street: "The boy fell about 8 feet, hitting his head and landing awkwardly on his leg when he crashed onto the concrete under the former M&G's Soul Food restaurant." Yikes. A witness told WCBS 2, "I heard the father holler and jump down in there. They tried to get him out and everything. I went over, and we were going to get him out [but] he said leave him down there because he might be injured. So we left him down there till the paramedics come." Luckily, Aboubaca only suffered a sprained leg; the fourth grader told the News, "It just suddenly fell. It was dark in the hole [and] I was scared." The Department of Buildings hasn't determine whether the building owner will face violations. In May, 34 children were injured when grating outside a school collapsed (the children were posing for a photograph); the school was issued a violation for not maintaining the grate.
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grating
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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