Woman Hurt In Ceiling Collapse Inside Subway Station In Brooklyn

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- One person was hurt and subway service was partially disrupted Wednesday afternoon when a portion of the ceiling collapsed at a subway station in Brooklyn.

Authorities say debris fell from the ceiling on the northbound platform for the 4 and 5 line at Borough Hall around 3:30 p.m.

A woman was struck on the shoulder but refused medical attention at the scene.

Northbound 4 and 5 trains were forced to bypass the station for several hours as crews worked to clean the platform.

New York City Transit Authority President Andy Byford says his agency will work to get to the bottom of what happened.

"There is some evidence of watering residue and paint peeling," Byford said. "What we know is that the plaster has come off the ceiling and the plaster coming down on a few of the tiles separate this sidewall from the actual plaster.

Many commuters told CBS2 they've been watching Borough Hall station fall apart for months. Broken countdown clocks and signs held up by duct tape were all foreshadowing for Wednesday's collapse.

Democratic gubernatorial challenger Cynthia Nixon tweeted, "Earlier this month, I stood exactly where the ceiling collapsed today to announce our plan to #FixOurSubway. What's it going to take to fix our broken infrastructure."

Less than a day before he was doing damage control at Borough Hall, Byford was outside a Queens 7 train with peeling paint announcing the MTA's multi-million dollar plan to renovate 300 stations over the next ten years.

Normal service resumed around 7 p.m. with residual delays.

In:
• MTA