Brooklyn Mom Wants NYC Apartments Inspected Annually After Parts Of Ceiling Crash Down On 12-Year-Old Son
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There was a close call at a Brooklyn apartment when a ceiling partially collapsed on a young boy.
Twelve-year-old Guyson Drice was doing remote learning at his computer on Feb. 24 when material from the living room ceiling came crashing down on him.
"I heard a creak and then it fell on me," he told CBS2's Nick Caloway.
His mother, Mimose Bercier, was in the next room.
"My son said 'Wow! Mom!' I left everything and then I ran," she said.
"It got me right on the side of [my head], but it still, a hard piece hit me right here," Guyson said.
He wasn't seriously hurt, but he says he still gets headaches and has had trouble sleeping ever since.
The ceiling material is not lightweight; it's actually quite heavy. Now, the family worries about what's going to come down next.
Bercier and her two sons have lived in the Flatbush building for more than 12 years. It's owned by Coney Realty and Management.
An attorney for the company told CBS2 that management "has not record of a complaint" about the ceiling prior to the incident.
Bercier says she wants more regulations from the city that would require property owners to inspect apartments annually.
"To check the apartments, to see the condition, how the tenant is living," she said.
An official with the New York City Department of Buildings said the city does require periodic inspections of certain elements of buildings but said there are no requirements for annual inspections of the interiors of apartments.
In Bercier's apartment, more of that heavy ceiling material hangs above her head. All she can do is watch and worry.
"I can't sleep. And sometimes I sit down in the hallway," she said.
"Because you're scared?" Caloway asked.
"Because I'm scared," Bercier said.
She's scared to stay, but she can't afford to move.
The Department of Buildings tells CBS2 an inspector will visit to determine if the family is in any more danger.
Meanwhile, the property manager says the ceiling will be repaired next week.
CBS2's Nick Caloway contributed to this report.
