Aug 8, 2007 10:54 am US/Pacific
New York Building Partially Collapses; No Injuries
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Witnesses said first the ground shook and then, without warning, the entire east side of the building came crashing down on Wednesday afternoon.
The four-story structure was abandoned and under construction at the time.
"I saw the building! Like there was smoke everywhere, it was just down on the road in a matter of seconds," a woman who identified herself as "Wanda" told CBS station WCBS-TV.
While fire crews worked to determine whether anyone was trapped inside the collapsed portion, there was much concern about two cars crushed by the falling facade.
One of those cars belongs to Anthony Reeves, who said he's lucky to be alive.
"Like a couple of minutes, five minutes, I would have been crushed," Reeves said. "I just thank God. It could have been worse. It's just a car."
Now the question is could this collapse been prevented?
WCBS-TV has learned that a partial stop work order had been issued three weeks ago, with the construction company cited for demolition being performed without a permit.
A Metro North station is located near the building, but was not been affected.
The collapse came on an already tumultuous day in New York City where severe thunderstorms caused flooding in the subway system, leaving thousands of passengers delayed in the sweltering heat and humidity for hours.
It's not yet known if the weather played a part in the collapse.
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