New York City rat chasm
The "New York City rat chasm" is a colloquial nickname for an event which took place in the Bronx, New York City in the United States, on 24 October 2020, in which a pedestrian waiting at a bus stop fell through an unstable sidewalk into a subterranean storage vault filled with rats.[1]
.jpg) One of many rats that infest New York City | |
| Date | October 24, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Time | 12:00-12:30 |
| Duration | 30 minutes |
| Casualties | |
| Leonard Shoulders, 33, injured but survived | |
| Non-fatal injuries | Intense abrasions, broken arm, broken leg, fractured spine, partial paralysis, psychological trauma |
| Accused | City of New York, EH & HD 183rd Realty LLC |
| Charges | Gross negligence |
Collapse and retrieval[edit]
Leonard Shoulders, a 33 year old, was waiting at a bus stop on 24 October 2020, on the corner of Third Avenue and 183rd Street in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx.[2] At approximately noon, Shoulders stepped forward on the sidewalk, and structural instabilities in the sidewalk caused a section of it to collapse, dropping Shoulders 12–15 feet (3.7–4.6 m) into a storage vault below the sidewalk, which was heavily infested by rats.[3] Shoulders suffered heavy abrasions to his face, as well as a broken arm, a broken leg, and a spinal fracture.[4][5] Additionally, debri from the collapse then landed on top of the victim.[3] The rats in the chasm, agitated, then proceeded to swarm on top of the victim.[6] Greg White, brother of the victim, said to CBS News "He didn't wanna yell 'cause he was afraid there was gonna be rats going inside his mouth".[2]
Concerned onlookers called 9-1-1, while other bystanders were caught on CCTV footage looking over the edge of the hole to assess the situation.[5][4] The same CCTV camera also captured the moment of the collapse.[3] Once the New York City Fire Department arrived, it took 30 minutes to extricate the victim. Firefighters were able to access the victim through a side door in the cellar of the building adjacent to the collapsed sidewalk.[1] The victim was then put on a stretcher and taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he remained for three weeks in stable condition.[2][4]
Ramifications[edit]
Following the collapse, the New York City Department of Buildings ordered that the building adjacent to the hole be vacated and fenced off.[5] The five-story building was mostly empty except for a dentistry office.[2] The Department of Buildings then began to search for the owner of the vault that the victim had fallen into, in order to determine legal responsibility. The building was owned by a company called EH & HD 183rd Realty LLC, who did not respond for comment to any news outlets.[4] In New York City, vaults underneath the sidewalks are common, and many are not properly maintained. Between July 2019 and October 2020, the city has received more than 35 reports of incidents involving sidewalk collapses.[2] Dilapidating infrastructure is a topic of much concern among residents, as is the city's infamously large rat infestation. New York City has spent several million dollars in recent years in attempts to cull the rat population, which scientists say has only gotten more aggressive during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.[7][3]
[shoulders and the lawsuit] Due to his spinal fracture during the fall, the victim suffered from partial paralysis in his arms and legs. During his time at St. Barnabas Hospital, the victim underwent spinal surgery, and following his release from the hospital he spent time in a physical rehabilitation facility, where he began to regain feeling in his legs and hands, though it is not guaranteed that he will ever regain full function.[4] Shortly following the accident, the victim hired a lawyer, Nicholas Bagley, and in December 2020 the victim filed a lawsuit for gross negligence against EH & HD 183rd Realty LLC and the city of New York.[2][4] EH & HD 183rd Realty LLC was charged with gross negligence for not properly maintaining the vault, and the New York City Department of Buildings was charged with gross negligence for not properly inspecting the sidewalk. The amount of damages sought by the victim will be determined regarding the extent of the victim's psychological trauma and permanent physical injuries[4]
References[edit]
Other articles of the topic New York City : New York's congressional districts, Univision Communications Inc.
Some use of "" in your query was not closed by a matching "".Some use of "" in your query was not closed by a matching "".
This article "New York City rat chasm" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:New York City rat chasm. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Man Falls 12-15 Feet Into Hole After Sidewalk Collapses In The Bronx". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Zaveri, Mihir (2020-10-29). "New York Nightmare: Man Falls Through Sidewalk Into Rat-Filled Chasm". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "New York sinkhole: Man's horror over fall into rat-infested chasm". BBC News. 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Offenhartz, Jake (2020-12-01). "Man Who Fell Through Sidewalk Sinkhole Into Pit Of Rats Files Lawsuit". Gothamist. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "New Video Shows Moment Sidewalk Collapsed Below Man Waiting At Bronx Bus Stop". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ↑ staff, Guardian (2020-10-29). "'He couldn't move': New York City man falls into sinkhole full of rats". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ↑ Shannon, Joel. "A man fell 10 feet through a New York City sidewalk. Then things got worse: 'Rats crawling on him, he can't move.'". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
