Worker survives NYC building collapse by riding wreckage to the ground

Updated Mar 2, 2015
Credit: New York Fire Department Twitter / @FDNYCredit: New York Fire Department Twitter / @FDNY

A worker on the top floor of a New York City parking garage somehow survived Wednesday afternoon when a portion of the three-story structure collapsed beneath him.

According to a report from CBS New York, the West 57th Street building was undergoing interior demolition when a 50-foot square portion of the garage came down.

New York Fire Department Chief Dan Donoghue said the worker on the top floor rode the building all the way to the ground.

“He actually was on the third floor, and when the floors pancaked down and collapsed, he rode the three stories down and walked out of the building. He was very lucky,” he said.

The worker only sustained a few scratches.

Portions of the building fell on top of a school bus parked nearby. Luckily no children were on board and the driver was able to escape unharmed. Construction workers on a jobsite across the street told CBS the collapse sounded like a bomb had gone off.

The cause of the collapse is unknown and an investigation is ongoing.