Tragically, on April 18th, a four-story parking garage collapsed in lower Manhattan, killing one victim. The garage, located at 57 Ann Street, had numerous prior safety violations, and inspectors were surveying the property when it collapsed at around 4 p.m on Tuesday. Emergency crews responded rapidly to the scene of the incident. Following the collapse, Ann Street was blocked off by authorities from Gold Street to Nassau Street while they assessed the situation. Initially, firefighters entered the rubble to search for victims, but as the structure was still collapsing, it was deemed unsafe to do so. The Fire Department continued to search the rubble using drones and a robotic dog.
A witness to the incident was shocked by the violent nature of the crash.
“I heard a boom. The emergency metal steps fell down. Then the ceiling came down. One car from above fell on top of the other.” Another witness to the incident saw a garage worker trapped under wreckage. Eyewitness News reported that a total of six workers were removed from the collapsed building. One was pronounced dead at the scene, four were taken to the hospital, and another refused medical attention. FDNY Chief of Operations, John M. Esposito, stated at a press conference that all garage workers had been accounted for. “We’re continuing to do searches, there are some cars in there that are crushed. We’re trying to see if we can get up close to make sure that there’s nobody in those cars. But as I said before, we believe that we had everybody accounted for.”
Mayor Eric Adams spoke at the press conference.
The mayor stated that the “building is completely unstable. We’re using the necessary technology to be able to give a clear view of what’s happening inside the building for the most part, and to do whatever we can to see if there are any more victims.” As of the morning of April 19th, Ann Street was still blocked off. The Ann Street garage had a total of 46 Department of Building violations before it came crashing down on Tuesday afternoon. A violation from 2003 cited, “Ceiling slab cracks exist…missing concrete covering steel beams…defective concrete with exposed rear cracks.” It is unclear whether these violations are related to the collapse.
Grandelli & Eskenasi has a proven track record of many multimillion-dollar recoveries for victims of wrongful death accidents and their families. Property owners in the City of New York have a non-delegable duty to maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition. While the investigation is still ongoing, the numerous building violations point toward negligence by the owner and/or operator of the building. If you or someone you know has been seriously injured in an accident on a due to someone else’s negligence, contact our firm to discuss your rights with a free consultation.
