Lawmakers demand answers after 2nd subway debris hits Queens car
WOODSIDE, Queens (WABC) -- Lawmakers are demanding action from the MTA after a second piece of subway platform debris came crashing down on a car in Queens.
The MTA believes a truck that hit a pole the day before and may have loosened up debris, but now, city officials are demanding the agency takes further action.
Someone sent photos to City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer's office, and Eyewitness News also obtained exclusive video.
A portion of steel apparently broke loose and shattered the windshield of Fernando Marin's SUV.
"Thank God nothing happened to us, because it really could have been a serious issue," Marin said. "Thankfully, it was just the car. God was with us today. If one of those metal pieces hits us, we would have had bigger problems."
Marin said it happened as he was driving to work with his wife and sister-in-law, when rusted metal fell off the elevated 7 train trestle on Roosevelt Avenue and hit a windshield near 62nd Street.
"The truck, if a truck even hit the 7 train -- it didn't cause what happened yesterday," Van Bramer said. "That was rust. That was deterioration."
A similarly terrifying incident happened about two weeks ago, just three blocks away, when a wood beam nearly impaled a man driving down the street.
After that happened, the MTA said they went back and inspected all the elevated tracks and that they're beefing up annual inspections.
Van Bramer tweeted, "What the hell is going on?"
The stretch of Roosevelt Avenue where it happened is a major transit hub, where the 7 line meets the LIRR and buses to LaGuardia Airport.
In the meantime, they released a statement saying, "This is obviously very concerning and we're glad that no one was hurt. We take the safety of our customers, employees and neighbors very seriously - what this material is and where it came from is under investigation."
However, Council Speaker Corey Johnson said there is no accountability and pointed to the MTA's response as further evidence why the mayor -- not the governor -- should be running the subway.
He proposed a takeover of the system earlier this week.
"Every time an incident happens, they can skate by because ultimately it seems no one is responsible," Johnson said.
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