3 injured in Manhattan scaffolding collapse after truck driver hits structure, officials say

A scaffolding structure collapsed on a Manhattan street on Monday morning, leaving three people with serious injuries, according to police and fire officials.

The collapse happened around 8:17 a.m. at a building on West 29th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues in Chelsea, FDNY Deputy Chief Michael Barvels said at a media briefing at the scene. First responders found a 40-foot section of the scaffolding had crashed onto three people who were on the sidewalk.

All three were transported to Bellevue Hospital, where one man was in critical condition and the other two people were in stable condition, police and fire officials said.

Barvels said a preliminary review indicated a box truck that had pulled out of a street parking spot next to 245 West 29th St. likely hit the scaffolding, causing it to topple. Department of Buildings spokesperson David Maggiotto confirmed inspectors made the same determination after reviewing the scene.

An employee of a nearby hotel showed Gothamist and other media outlets surveillance footage of the collapse.

The video, which was taken from a Holiday Inn across the street, shows the structure falling as a box truck starts to move. It is unclear how the truck hit the scaffolding.

Wood panels and metal rods appear to hit at least two people, and more pieces fall down moments later, the video shows.

The driver of the truck remained on the scene and expressed regret over the incident but declined to comment on the record to a Gothamist reporter.

A representative of the transportation company whose name was displayed on the side of the truck declined comment when reached by phone.

Buildings department officials said as of 2 p.m. on Monday that inspectors had found no damage to the adjacent building and issued a violation to the owner for a "non-compliant shed." A shed repair company was on site and clearing the area of debris before planning to fix the structure.

The scaffolding that came down on West 29th Street was flagged for unsafe conditions in August 2023, though the situation was later resolved, Department of Buildings records show. The property owner could not immediately be reached.

City Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who represents the district where the collapse took place and was on the scene on Monday, said he was working to pass a series of bills to shorten the legal time window that scaffolding is allowed to stay up. Mayor Eric Adams has also pledged to crack down on the prevalence of the structures citywide, which spanned a total of nearly 400 miles as of this summer and are meant to protect people on the street from falling debris and other materials.

“My bills would set time limits for the amount of time property owners have to pull the building permits, the amount of time that they have to do the work,” Bottcher said. “That would help address situations in which property owners have these up for years and years without doing the work.”

He added that his legislation would also permit other methods of keeping pedestrians safe during façade work, like using drones and installing netting.

By late Monday morning, part of the collapsed shed on West 29th Street had been reduced to a pile of wood and metal poles on the sidewalk, covering a large pool of dried blood. Firefighters were working to cut down additional bits of the structure that still hung precariously above.

This story has been updated with additional information. David Brand contributed reporting.