6-year-old girl hit by falling bricks from building in New York City
By Jaysha Patel
Click here for updates on this story
QUEENS, New York (WABC) — A 6-year-old girl is recovering in the hospital after she was struck by falling bricks while playing outside in Maspeth.
The incident happened just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday near 59-01 Maspeth Avenue.
A family friend said the building belongs to the girl’s family. The friend said the child was peeking through an opening to wave at her father, who was at the construction site, when the bricks fell on her.
She was taken to the hospital with a head laceration and a broken leg, but is said to be stable.
The portion of the structure that collapsed was described as a 4-by-3-foot section of the brick side facade.
The girl’s mother said she was unloading groceries from a car when she heard her daughter scream. The father also witnessed the incident from behind a fence,
“A very scary situation. She was crying. Her leg is broken and she needs surgery,” the girl’s mother said. “She was under the big one, it was very heavy. She’s been walking here everyday because we live here.”
The city’s Department of Buildings responded and is investigating. Inspectors were seen taking photos of the building as part of their investigation.
As a result of the partial collapse, DOB issued a violation to the property owner for failure to maintain the garage building.
Police officers also searched the sidewalk with flashlights as they worked to determine what caused the debris to fall.
The girl is expected to undergo surgery for her leg on Friday.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.