There are all kinds of hazards that people might encounter while walking down the street. Sidewalks with uneven or poorly set pavement could lead to a trip-and-fall accident, for example, while cars that are out of control and jump the curb could be an unexpected danger as well.
Few people, though, would expect to be the victim of a runaway buzzsaw on the sidewalk. But that’s exactly what happened earlier this week in Manhattan. A construction company was using the saw to break up the roadway in order to fix a water main that was buried beneath.
Somehow, the 3-foot blade became dislodged and flew into the air. It then traveled down the sidewalk for about 100 feet, narrowly missing several pedestrians, before bouncing off a tree and slashing a woman on the leg. The woman began screaming in pain before bystanders attended to her. She was ultimately taken to a nearby hospital to treat her injury.
A witness to the accident said it was something that he didn’t expect to see — which is, no doubt, an understatement. That sort of thing happening is something out of a horror movie. It is fortunate that there weren’t more injuries, and that nobody was killed in the incident.
As it is, the woman who was hurt will incur medical bills for her treatment through no fault of her own. People hurt in sidewalk accidents often speak with personal injury attorneys who can help them to seek compensation from negligent or otherwise liable parties.
Source: NBC New York, “Pedestrian Hit by Flying Buzzsaw in Midtown Manhattan,” Checkey Beckford, May 28, 2014