Building inspectors checked nearby structures in a New Jersey town Wednesday morning after four people were injured yesterday when a partial building collapse sent bricks raining down upon them.
Engineers probed the facades of buildings near Palisade Avenue and 60th Street in West New York to make sure there are no other structural problems while four victims were recovering from their injuries.
Adriano Reyes De La Cruz was enjoying a summer evening, sitting on the stoop with his girlfriend and family when bricks from an aging parapet started falling on them.
"I heard an explosion like boof," De La Cruz said. "I look up and I saw everything coming down, so I had time to run."
De La Cruz hurt his knee, suffered some cuts and is using a cane to get around. His girlfriend, he said, is doing worse. He said her toe was crushed by a brick and may have to be amputated.
His cousin Domingo Ortiz was found covered in bricks on the sidewalk and is said to be in serious condition. The mayor of West New York, Dr. Felix Roque, aided the injured yesterday and visited Ortiz in the hospital yesterday.
"He's a fortunate person because when I saw him yesterday, in my medical opinion, he wasn't going to make it," Roque told NBC 4 New York.
