Wall Fall A Close Call For NYC

(CBS/AP)  It was a moment of horror and then relief in New York: the collapse of a century-old former castle wall, dumping tons of debris onto one of the city's busiest roads, followed by word from authorities that no one is believed to have been killed or even injured.

It's hard to believe, looking at photos of the mountain of rubble that was the 50-foot-tall stone retaining wall that first sent a few stones falling down into Henry Hudson Parkway rush hour traffic and a few minutes later - as firemen began inspecting the area - the wall and the cliff it supported came completely tumbling down.

Police say one car on the parkway was hit by the debris but was able to drive away.

Numerous cars parked nearby were buried under a massive mound of rocks, trees and dirt. Police say they do not believe anyone is buried in the rubble, which will take some time to remove and is creating nightmarish hours-long traffic jams for area commuters.

City officials say an investigation will determine what led to the collapse, but water damage could have been a cause.

A source at a construction company tells WCBS-TV Reporter Andrew Kirtzman that an engineering firm hired to evaluate the wall called his company last week to take a look and put in a bid on the job.

The source says the wall at that time had a bulge, was "definitely moving," appeared to be in need of supporting braces, but did not seem to be in imminent danger of collapse.

The apartment building closest to the scene, 1380 Riverside Drive, was evacuated and residents were put into a disaster relief center as city engineers determined if that building, a little over a hundred feet away, is in any danger of collapse.

The apartment building, says Department of Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster, appears to be in stable condition. She adds that the buildings department is doing an assessment of other buildings in the area.

Amy Allison, who lives in the building, said she was at home when she heard a "huge crash" at about 4 p.m.

"I looked out my window, and there was a huge landslide starting to happen," said Allison. "I saw all of a wall of dirt just tumbling onto the highway."

• 1
• 2
• Next Page »