Falling metal kills pedestrian in Manhattan

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - Metal debris that fell from a fire escape injured two people in Manhattan on Friday, officials said. One later died.  Medics rushed a man and a 25-year-old woman to Bellevue Hospital Center after the incident.

This happened at a nine-story building near the intersection of Howard Street and Broadway at about 1:30 p.m.  During a routine inspection of the building facade, a woman stepped onto the fire escape on the seventh floor, Deputy Assistant Chief Michael Gala Jr. said. A metal step came loose, fell seven flights, and struck two pedestrians in the head.

The woman partially through the fire escape but was able to pull herself up, Gala said. EMS evaluated her at the scene and she refused further medical aid.