Parking Garage Collapses In Manhattan Leaving One Dead, Five Injured

Photo: Mary Altaffer (AP)

Yesterday afternoon, a parking garage in Manhattan’s Financial District collapsed with six employees inside. One was killed in the collapse, while five others were injured, according to ABC 7 News.

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The building, located at 57 Ann Street, collapsed in on itself yesterday afternoon. Upper floors fell through those below, all the way to the building’s basement. Ann Street is still closed around the garage, with the building deemed too precarious for people to approach.

Students at a Pace University building adjacent to the garage watched the collapse, and the university has shifted its classes to remote learning for today while responders address the collapsed garage. Emergency personnel will not, however, enter the structure — the New York Fire Department has deemed it not worth the risk of further destruction.

The cause of the collapse is still unknown, but authorities are looking into the sheer weight of vehicles parked on the garage’s upper floors. Looking at images from the collapse, the roof seems covered in SUVs and crossovers—those Explorers, Navigators, Grand Cherokees, and GX460s aren’t light.

ABC 7 also reports that the garage had an open violation for cracked and broken concrete, one that’s gone unsolved since 2003. Whether that complaint simply meant trip-worthy walkways, or more important, structural faults, remains to be seen. One city councilmember, Christopher Marte, told ABC 7 that this collapse stands as a reminder of why code violations are so important, and the necessity of ensuring all violations are resolved.

The city will be demolishing the remains of the garage structure but hopes to extricate the remaining cars from it first. Given the amount of flammable materials in the average car, that seems to be the safest plan of action.