3-story parking garage partially collapses in NJ

Associated Press ^ | 07-6-2010 | DAVID PORTER

[RS_Rider]

HACKENSACK, N.J. – A glass canopy fell off of a high-rise condominium building and onto a parking garage two stories below on Friday, partly flattening the structure and trapping at least one person, authorities said.

Rescuers can see the victim but can't get to the person because they are concerned about the possibility of another collapse at the three-story garage, Hackensack fire Lt. Stephen Lindner said. They could not determine the victim's condition.

Authorities are checking out reports that two to three more people might also be trapped, Lindner said.

The garage pancaked when the canopy fell on it, damaging vehicles. Television footage showed the top level of the garage littered with dirt, debris and glass, and wide cracks in the pavement.

It's unclear why the canopy fell from the 22-year-old building, which is adjacent to the garage. Several residents said workers had uprooted a tree between the street and the building within the past few months, and that a leak in the basement was being fixed.

Resident Chris Baldo told local television station News 12 that he was in his first-floor unit when he heard "rumbling that sounded like an earthquake or a plane, like something hit the building."

Irene Casapulla, who lives on the second floor, said she heard "a bunch of thumping, and all of a sudden it sounded like an earthquake."

[b4its2late]

Yikes. Always worried about that in these ramps in the northeast.

[blam]

A job done by union thugs?

[Yo-Yo]

It's unclear why the canopy fell from the 22-year-old building, which is adjacent to the garage.

Voids in the foundation as the bodies decomposed. This is Joisey, right?

[RS_Rider]

There’s a P.E. (Professional Engineer) out there somewhere that is not having a good afternoon. Hope no one got hurt.

[Retired Greyhound]

At some point we’ll start seeing highway overpasses weaken, too.

This stuff doesn’t last forever.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

How long before Bush gets blamed?

[BenLurkin]

$200 billion towards rebuilding America's infrastructure would have been real stimulus -- and a smart investment in the future.

[RS_Rider]

I would like to see how this canopy was attached to the building, it looks like it cantilevered out.

[RS_Rider]

More pictures here:

http://photos.nj.com/4504/gallery/parking_deck_collapse/index.html?fromentry=4774354&fromblog=1607

[BenLurkin]

Raw video here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/16/new.jersey.garage.collapse/

[libs_kma]

How long before Bush gets blamed?"

If a dim anywhere is near a microphone, or a TV camera Bush has already been blamed.

[Willie Green]

$200 billion towards rebuilding America's infrastructure would have been real stimulus -- and a smart investment in the future.

I agree... but this wasn't public infrastructure that collapsed.

It's a private condo that collapsed.
I bet the penny-pinchers cut too many corners when they built the flimsy thing to begin with.

[pepsi_junkie]

Collapsed under the weight of the property taxes, no doubt.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

As Shiela Jackson Lee whether this ever happens in North or South Vietnam.

[radiohead]

<$200 billion towards rebuilding America’s infrastructure would have been real stimulus — and a smart investment in the future.

I just watched a show on our failing infrastructure and thought the same thing. As much as I detest Obama, why couldn’t he have championed the creation of a program to fix the infrastructure? It could put experienced construction crews to work and offer apprenticeships to those wanting to learn a trade; kinda like a construction CCC from the Depression. But I guess that’s too easy, huh?

[RS_Rider]

Politicians never push for funding anything that is not new so that they can put their name on it. Here in Pittsburgh, we have the most bridges of any U.S. city and many of them are in need of repair. What do we do?.... Dig 2 tunnels underneath the Allegheny river at a cost of 1 billion dollars.

[BenLurkin]

“why couldn’t he have championed the creation of a program to fix the infrastructure? It could put experienced construction crews to work and offer apprenticeships to those wanting to learn a trade; kinda like a construction CCC from the Depression.”

Excellent question. Part of the answer, I think, is that Hussein wanted to bleed America — not rescue it. Another part of the anwer is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duQDVTczGbA

[TheBigIf]

This definately not the first parking garage to collapse recently in NJ. I think there was one in AC that collapsed withing the past couple of years. I am starting to wonder what is going on.

[Liz]