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Urban Nightmare Video: Man Falls Into Open Sidewalk Cellar
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 3, 2014
Modified Jun 3, 2014
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 3, 2014
Modified Jun 3, 2014
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A man was hospitalized after falling through an open cellar trap door in an East Harlem sidewalk yesterday. Witnesses tells WCBS 2 that the man didn't seem to hear their warnings about the opening.
The incident happened at the corner of East 119th Street and Second Avenue. Jerry Whatts said, "He didn’t see what was going down. He just went right down, head first... People saw him walking toward the gate, and they tried to stop him, but it was already too late. He stumbled down the gate."
The man who is sitting down apparently didn't get up because he was unable to.
Another resident, Alan Porto, told WCBS 2 that he's fallen into open cellar doors in the neighborhood, "See how the sidewalk is a little crooked? I must’ve tripped and I went this way into the basement.” He added that it took him months to recover, "[The cellar doors] shouldn’t be open too long. Like, if you’re going to go in to sweep and mop the buildings, go ahead. But close the gate right afterwards."
Besides open cellar doors, sidewalk grates can make New Yorkers nervous—since some people have fallen through.
Tagged
cellar door
east harlem
sidewalk
urban nightmare
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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