A New York City parking structure with a history of violations in its past collapsed on April 18, killing at least one person and injuring five others, local authorities said.
Reuters reported that the collapse is believed to be a structural collapse and no foul play was suspected. The structure is located in lower Manhattan near Pace University and the New York Stock Exchange. The instability of the structure caused firefighters to be pulled away from the facility so rescue personnel used robotic devices to inspect for trapped or injured occupants. According to rescue personnel, it was the first time the city’s firefighters used drone aircraft to conduct searches.
Post-collapse reports showed multiple cars from the four-story facility piled on top of one another along with slabs of concrete. Firefighters were pulled from the scene as the building continued to collapse after the initial parking garage incident.
The city’s Department of Buildings records indicated that 45 violations have occurred at the site, 25 of which have happened since 2003. Among the previous citations were reports of “ceiling slab cracks exist” and “defective concrete exposed rear cracks.”
Dave Lubach is executive editor of the Facility Market.
