Woman Killed After Being Hit By Falling Brick From Brownstone In Brooklyn

New York State Police Investigating Sunset Park, Brooklyn Accident After Elderly Woman Is Killed By Falling Brick From Brownstone

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (February 17, 2024) – A woman has tragically died after being hit in the head by a falling brick from the facade of a Brooklyn Brownstone.

New York City police officials are saying that the collision took place around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday. A 74-year-old woman was clearing snow from the steps of the building when she was hit by a decorative brick from the facade of the Brownstone building.

Paramedics were called to the scene in order to help the victim. She was taken to Maimonides Medical Center with critical injuries.

Despite life-saving measures, she was later pronounced dead. A full investigation remains ongoing at this time.

Liability For Accidents Involving Falling Objects

Thousands of people are seriously injured every year in accidents involving falling objects. Most of these accidents occur in the workplace. According to 3M, “there are more than 42,400 “struck by falling object” OSHA recordable incidents every year in the United States. By our estimate, that’s nearly 116 injuries caused by falling objects every day or one injury caused by a dropped object every 10 minutes.” There are a number of steps that building owners should take in order to prevent bricks from coming off of a facade.

• Building facades should undergo regular inspections for damage and signs of wear.
• Building facades should undergo maintenance if there are any damaged bricks or masonry.
• Building facades may nee weatherproof coatings.
• Building facades should use appropriate anchoring systems to secure bricks to the building.

Building owners in New York have a legal responsibility to maintain their properties in a reasonably safe condition. This must be done for the protection of everyone on a property whose presence is reasonably foreseeable. The company that built a home or residential structure could also be liable for an accident. It is important that certain steps are taken after any accident involving a building facade.

• Eye witnesses should be interviewed.
• Medical records should be preserved.
• Maintenance records for the building should be sought.
• An experienced personal injury attorney should be contacted.

The vast majority of accidents involving building facades are preventable. They tend to involve buildings that are not particularly well maintained. A construction company may have cut corners during the creation of a building facade. It is important that accident victims understand that they do have rights. The family of any person that is killed in an accident may be able to seek some measure of justice through a civil claim.

Investigating Brooklyn Brownstone Accidents

We at Gersowitz Libo & Korek, P.C. extend our deepest condolences to the family of the woman that died in this Brownstone accident. There needs to be a thorough investigation into what went wrong. This was a preventable accident that should have not taken place. 

Do you need more information about a Brooklyn accident involving a Brownstone? Our team of building safety advocates are here to help in any way that we can. We care deeply that accident victims are aware of their rights and that those rights are being protected. You can reach out to us anytime at (516) 908-9792.