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Crowbar Falls From East Side Construction Site, Hits Taxi

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Shattered glass and a damaged roof -- a crow bar crashed down on top of a cab with the driver inside.

On Thursday, there were safety concerns about how it happened, and whether the area is safe.

As CBS2's Dick Brennan reported, the crowbar came crashing down from above as the cab sat at the corner of 59th Street and Third Ave at around 9:15 a.m.

It dented the roof and smashed the windshield sending glass spraying through the front seat, and no doubt terrifying the driver sitting there -- he somehow managed to avoid any serious injury, but the incident rattled the nerves of people walking the streets.

"I'm leery, I'm leery just walking down the street, just down the road here," Beth Insabella said.

The Department of Buildings said the crowbar came off the construction site of a condo building going up at 200 East 59th Street.

They've issued a stop work order and a violation for failing to safeguard the public and property.

The Department of Buildings also said there was another incident at the site on April 25, when a column was blown out as concrete was being poured, damaging some vehicles driving by.

"It's problematic when you have all these scaffoldings and I tried to avoid it, but to get in the building you have no choice," Marvin Brill said.

Inside the cab police had left a note urging any over-zealous ticket writers not to write a summons which would no doubt add insult to injury. The cab has since been removed from the scene.

In the meantime, the project spokesperon of 200 East 59th Street said they've stopped work at the site and are taking every step to insure that it won't happen again.

 

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