Video: 2 women hurt when sign collapses onto sidewalk in Brooklyn
BAY RIDGE, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A video shows two women struggling after a huge sign collapsed on top of them in Brooklyn.
The awning came crashing down onto the sidewalk at 9412 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge around 5:45 p.m. Monday.
"Her friend was hit by it," neighbor Frankie Goode said. "The other woman was crushed by it completely. It fell on top of her."
Goode's home surveillance camera captured the horrifying moments when one woman was left stuck underneath the heavy signage and the other knocked to the ground as bystanders rushed to help.
The fire department was on scene four minutes later. The women were taken to the hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries but were later found to be more serious.
Goode said a language barrier made gathering information difficult, as the most seriously-injured victim only speaks Russian.
"She was devastated, she was in shock," Goode said. "Somebody asked her her name. She didn't know how to answer, just looked dumbfounded."
He took the video to the hospital and showed it to a nurse.
"Both ladies are lucky to be alive," he said. "I tell you one thing, God bless them both. I don't know how they're both alive."
One of the victims, a 69-year-old woman, is now recovering at home with a severe concussion, the right side of her body black and blue.
Her friend ended up under the sign and remains hospitalized with four broken ribs, among other injuries.
The building's owner, Dr. Gary Herskovits, expressed his remorse off camera. But on camera, he refused to comment.
Despite the vacate order now in place, the dentist and his staff were inside the building Tuesday, canceling appoints. Officials have issued two violations for failure to maintain the building and for doing illegal work on the second floor.
Dr. Herskovits was ordered to put up a sidewalk shed so that no one else gets hurt.
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