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Man Hospitalized After Falling Into Sidewalk Sinkhole In The Bronx


By

Sydney Pereira

Published Oct 25, 2020


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The location where the sidewalk collapsed in a November 2019 Google Maps street view.

 

Google Maps


By

Sydney Pereira

Published Oct 25, 2020


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As if we didn't have enough to worry about these days, now you've got to watch out for the sidewalk opening up to devour you. Just yesterday a man fell 15 feet below ground after the sidewalk collapsed under him in the Bronx.

FDNY personnel rushed to Third Avenue near 183rd Street in the Belmont neighborhood in the Bronx on Saturday just before 12:30 p.m. and had to perform a "technical rescue" to get the man out of the 12- to 15-foot hole in the sidewalk, FDNY and NYPD officials said.

The man, 33, was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital after the fall in stable condition, NYPD spokesperson Denise Moroney said.

A witness told CBS2 he was waiting for a bus next to the victim after giving him a lighter when he suddenly fell through the hole.

The Department of Buildings inspectors discovered the sidewalk vault was in a state of disrepair and the building was issued a full vacate order. A dentistry office operates on the first floor, but the rest of the building was unoccupied, a department spokesperson said.

Video from the Citizen App shows firefighters at the closed dentistry office where the hole in the sidewalk was located peering into the hole and bringing a ladder to the scene.

Man Rescued from Collapsed Sidewalk @CitizenApp

548 E 183rd St Yesterday 12:34:16 PM EDT

The building's owner at 4521 Third Avenue—listed as EH And HD 183rd Realty—was ordered to install a construction fence after the collapse. The spokesperson for the buildings department says the five-story property will be monitored to ensure the owner complies.

Owners listed the five-story property for sale about a year ago for $9 million, according to the NY Times. A voicemail message listed for the company was not immediately returned.

Of course, this isn't an unheard of phenomenon in NYC. You'll recall the "nightmare" sinkhole that swallowed a whole car in Bushwick last summer. And back in 2015 Sunset Park was nearly devoured by a sinkhole.

Tagged

fdny

injuries

EMS

sinkhole

bronx

nypd

urban nightmare

nightmare

sidewalk collapse


Sydney Pereira

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