APRIL 7, 2015
NEW YORK, NY
In this photo provided by Kaitlyn Ford, emergency personnel
work the scene where authorities said four construction workers suffered
serious injuries in a partial wall collapse inside a commercial building near
Grand Central Terminal, in New York.
Four construction workers were hurt Tuesday at a building
being demolished near Grand Central Terminal when an interior marble banister
collapsed and they tumbled to the ground floor, authorities and the building
owner said.
The men were taken to Bellevue Hospital Center after the
accident at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, a fire department spokesman said. They were
in stable condition.
Richard Wilde, a citywide coordinator for the city's Office
of Emergency Management, said the Art Deco building on Madison Avenue is being
gutted in preparation for total demolition. The building is a block west of the
terminal.
City officials reported earlier that a wall at the mezzanine level
had collapsed and fallen on the men.
The owner of the 14-story building, SL Green Realty Corp.,
said the workers were removing a massive chandelier when the banister gave way
and they fell about 15 feet.
SL Green Realty said there was a licensed safety manager at
the building.
The city Department of Buildings issued a stop work order
while the accident is under investigation.
Waldorf Demolition is the contractor, with Tishman Construction
as the construction manager, SL Green Realty said in a statement.