Debris falls from Queens 7 train platform, pierces windshield for 2nd time in 2 weeks
WOODSIDE, Queens (WABC) -- For the second time in two weeks, officials say falling debris from the 7 train nearly killed a driver in Queens.
A car driving on Roosevelt Avenue near 62nd Street in Woodside Wednesday was struck by debris that fell from the elevated 7 train tracks above.
A portion of steel apparently broke loose and shattered the windshield of Fernando Marin's SUV.
"God was with us today," he said through a translator. Marin said it happened as he was driving to work with his wife and sister in-law.
"I want them to inspect the train tracks more often," he said. Thankfully no one was hurt.
"It could kill you, it's a heavy metal piece.. it was quite heavy," said Hamza Saeed, who owns a candy store at 62nd Street.
New York City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer was furious over the incident and posted pictures on Twitter.
MTA workers pulled more pieces of metal from under the stairway and cordoned off the area to make repairs.
The stretch of Roosevelt Avenue where it happened is a major transit hub, where the 7 line meets the LIRR and buses to LaGuardia.
Around two weeks earlier, a piece of wood fell from the 7 train subway platform and pierced a driver's windshield, just blocks away from the most recent incident.
Mahboob Lodhi, an Uber driver, came within inches of being impaled after the wooden beam came crashing down into his SUV.
He hit the brakes and luckily was not hurt, refusing medical attention.
"And boom, I'm just shocked," he said. "I'm nervous, and then after a couple minutes, nothing."
"It's absolutely a crisis and a ticking time bomb," said Van Bramer. "When you have chunks of metal and wood flying off the 7 train, coming down on one of the busiest streets in all of New York City. Unless the MTA can secure this facility, you are going to see someone get hit and possibly killed in the near future."
The MTA released the following statement after Wednesday's incident:
"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."
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
