Woman hit by flying buzzsaw in New York City construction accident

Updated May 30, 2014
The circular saw blade that hit a woman in New York City after it came to a rest. Credit: Matt Bisi via NBC New YorkThe circular saw blade that hit a woman in New York City after it came to a rest. Credit: Matt Bisi via NBC New York

A three-foot buzzsaw blade became detached on a New York City road construction site Tuesday and went airborne, eventually hitting a woman walking by the site.

According to a report from NBC New York, a construction crew working to fix a water main break was tearing up a section of the roadway at 48th Street and Ninth Avenue in Manhattan when the blade became detached. The blade flew into the air and ran along the ground, traveling about 100 feet before slicing into a group of passersby and then hitting the woman in the leg.

The woman suffered a cut on her leg but was not seriously hurt. Fortunately, no one else was hit by the blade before it came to a rest.

NBC New York reports that they city’s Department of Design and Construction is investigating how the blade became detached and has told its sub-contractors to stop using all saw blades until they, the other tools and vehicles on the site can be fully inspected for safety.

You can see security camera footage of the incident below.

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