Two Injured as More Glass Falls at Bryant Park
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Authorities closed down traffic along 42nd Street yesterday after a 65-square-foot panel of steel and glass fell from One Bryant Park, a construction site that has faced problems with falling debris in the past.
At about 10:30 a.m., the object fell from the 51st floor of the 52-story building, at the corner of 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue, a spokesman for the company overseeing construction of the building, Tishman Construction, said. The panel then shattered on a pedestrian bridge on the south side of 42nd Street, where another construction project is under way.
Two people suffered minor injuries, and one was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital, a fire official said.
The incident marks the sixth time since 2006 that objects have fallen — and the third time glass has fallen — from One Bryant Park, whose prime tenant is Bank of America, a spokesman for the city Department of Buildings said.
In October, a bathtub-size container of debris fell from the building, injuring eight people.
Richard Kielar, the Tishman spokesman, cautioned against making connections between the accidents. “We do not see a pattern with regard to previous incidents,” he said.
Mr. Kielar said he would not speculate about the cause. “It’s undetermined as to what happened was mechanical or human,” he said. “Something did not happen normally this time.”
The fire department arrived on the scene minutes after the incident, and traffic was shut down on Sixth and Seventh avenues between 42nd and 43rd streets immediately, a fire official said. Throughout the day, the police department cordoned off streets in Midtown for the cleanup.
The Department of Buildings issued an immediate stop-work order for exterior glass installation and said after an inspection that Tishman had committed three building violations, a spokesman said.
The construction company will “fully cooperate” with the city, Mr. Kielar said.
The building is being developed as a joint venture between Bank of America and the Durst Organization. Representatives for both companies declined to comment on the incident.
