3 injured in facade wall collapse at furniture store along Jericho Turnpike in Bellerose, Queens
BELLEROSE, Queens (WABC) -- Three people were injured after a facade wall at a furniture store in Queens collapsed on Wednesday.
People working and shopping on the busy commercial strip of Jericho Turnpike, right on the Queens-Nassau border, around 5 p.m., were shocked by the sound of hundreds of cinderblocks dropped to the pavement when the facades of several stores peeled away.
"I thought a bomb went off, honestly. Honest to god. I thought a bomb went off," eyewitness Victoria Craig said.
It happened at 245-13 Jericho Turnpike in the Bellerose section.
Department of Buildings inspectors say about 175 feet of a facade wall partially collapsed onto the sidewalk and street below.
The crash kicked up a cloud of dust seen in surveillance video from across the street. Firefighters responded and hosed down the dust.
Most of the facade had been on the storefront of Plaza Furniture, whose owner said he just opened the store two weeks ago.
"I went outside. I see someone screaming. I just called 911 right away," Billy Rashid said.
The screaming was coming from the rubble.
"Luckily, only one person was underneath. Thank God," eyewitness Jophry Phillip said.
Witnesses worked together to rescue him.
"A lot of people ran over. Without hesitation. Just ran over and started getting the guy out of the rubble," Craig said.
Police say the 25-year-old man suffered pain in his back and was taken to a hospital.
"He was saying that he was in pain on his right leg and lower back and he was grateful that he was still alive," Phillip said.
The debris also struck a parked Jeep with an 11-year-old girl sitting in the rear passenger seat and a 13-year-old girl sitting in the front passenger seat.
The 11-year-old suffered pain to the back, and the 13-year-old girl suffered pain in the right leg.
The 25-year-old man was taken to North Shore University Hospital, and the two girls were taken to Cohen Children's Medical Center.
All the victims are expected to recover.
Neighbors said the Plaza Furniture had been undergoing some remodeling.
"I know they had construction going on there for a while now. But I didn't think something like that would happen, you know?" Karan Saini said.
Neighbors wonder if the store's new awning pulled off the facade and yanked down those attached, including a beauty salon, a medical office and a Tae Kwon Do studio.
The DOB says representatives are at the scene with contractors to assess the damage and coordinate clean-up.
The investigation is ongoing.
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