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Man Gets Knocked Down by Rushing Water Flooding in at Court Square Subway Station

According to an MTA investigation, the “severe and dangerous” flooding was a result of poor drainage at a construction site near the station

What to Know

  • A man waiting for a train at the Court Square subway station was brought down Wednesday night when a temporary wall gave out
  • Video shows the man already knocked down to the ground as the train comes into the station, the man clearly having been pushed forward
  • According to an MTA investigation, the “severe and dangerous” flooding was a result of poor drainage at a construction site near the station

A man waiting for a train at the Court Square subway station in Queens, New York was brought down Wednesday night when a temporary wall gave out, releasing a small surge of water onto the platform — and nearly knocked him onto the tracks.

Video shows the man already knocked down onto the ground as the train comes rolling into the station, the man clearly having been pushed forward slightly when the water hit him.

According to an investigation by the MTA, the “severe and dangerous” flooding — which was captured on multiple videos on social media — was a result of the construction of a residential tower adjacent to the station. The site became inundated with water as storms moved through the area Wednesday night because the proper pumping system was not in place to drain it out, according to the MTA.

The MTA responded to the video, calling the incident “absolutely unacceptable and avoidable,” while pinning the blame on a contractor working on the nearby development project.

“We have already begun taking steps to make sure the developer and contractor are held accountable and this doesn’t happen again … we regret that our customers were inconvenienced and put at risk by this contractor’s shocking lapse in best safety practices.

After the incident, officials blocked off the area in an abundance of caution.

The contractor also agreed to build a dam and new wall along with waterproofing and more personnel on site during major storms, the MTA spokesperson said.

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