EAST HARLEM, Manhattan, New York — Spectrum News NY1 reported that a 43-year-old man is dead after a freak accident in an East Harlem parking lot. An inspector for the New York City Department of Buildings said that the 43-year-old mechanic was working in the parking lot when a parking lift collapsed and dropped a vehicle […]
Mechanic crushed by car
EAST HARLEM, Manhattan, New York — Spectrum News NY1 reported that a 43-year-old man is dead after a freak accident in an East Harlem parking lot. An inspector for the New York City Department of Buildings said that the 43-year-old mechanic was working in the parking lot when a parking lift collapsed and dropped a vehicle on top of the man. The weight of the falling platform and car crushed him. The parking lot lifts used in this particular lot stack four cars vertically. The medical examiner’s office will conduct a post-mortem examination of the body and render an opinion of the man’s cause of death.
The man who died was a mechanic who worked on the parking elevators, according to an article in the New York Daily News. According to the Daily News, the mechanic was working on the lift that is attached to the parking platform. The platform collapsed, and both the platform and a sedan parked on the platform fell on top of him. A coworker said he heard the victim scream in horror as the platform gave way.
New York police, fire, and EMS responded quickly. A man who witnessed the tragic accident said that police and fire personnel worked frantically to free the man from underneath the wreckage. EMS transported the mechanic to Harlem Hospital in critical condition. The man later perished from his injuries several hours after the incident.
Several people interviewed by media outlets described the event as tragic. Emotions seemed to run high because of the time of year. Each person interviewed explained how the accident was even more tragic because it happened during the holiday season.
One man who lived near the parking lot located at 110 St., near 1stAvenue, said that he was listening to music while wearing headphones and could still hear the thunderous boom of the collapsing steel platform bearing the weight of a sedan slamming onto the concrete floor of the parking garage. He also said that his wife had just pulled out of that garage. She took the family car on a shopping trip and nearly missed witnessing the event.
