1 Killed, 3 Injured After Window-Washing Machine Accident On Manhattan's East Side
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- One person was killed and three others were injured after a window-washing machine accident on Manhattan's East Side.
It happened just before 4:30 p.m. Thursday at 136 East 36th Street in Murray Hill.
Workers were restoring the building's facade when a window-washing machine somehow malfunctioned, then dropped onto a construction shed and scaffolding below.
Part of the construction shed and scaffolding then crashed down to the street and the sidewalk.
"The building is a local 11 building, it did have permits for facade restoration," Department of Buildings Commissioner Melanie La Rocca said. "They had filed their required reporting. That filing was done in 2019, last year. This work is associated with that filing."
Parts of the building's facade came down as well. Investigators are now trying to figure out if that may have played a role in the accident.
Neighbors say the construction shed had been up for about a year.
"I was walking the dog and it was, I mean, it's kind of spooky really to think that if I was walking a few hours later, I could, like, something could have hit me on the head or something, you know," a neighbor told CBS2's Andrea Grymes.
All four victims are construction workers.
Two of those injured were last reported to be in critical condition. The third suffered minor injuries. They were taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment.
