The AC Safety Net

A 45-pound air-conditioning unit Tuesday fell six stories from an East Village apartment, crashed through the awning of a wine bar and seriously injured a man.

He was walking his dog about 8:30 a.m. when the freak accident occurred on the sidewalk outside his apartment building near Third St., officials said.

"I think the awning saved him," said the owner of the Bar, whose awning was knocked down by the plummeting air conditioner. "It's a good thing it was there, or else it would have been a disaster."

He was struck in the head by the awning, said Tony Sclafani, spokesman for the city Buildings Department.

Thursday, November 11, 2010, 8:02 AM

By Jean-Pierre Mestanza/The Jersey Journal

"I didn't feel it,"the 24-year-old said about his sudden brush with death.

The North Bergen man escaped instant death by mere inches Tuesday when an air conditioner fell 15 stories and struck him in the head. His injuries required a one-hour surgery and about 50 staples and stitches across his head and face.

He lost a liter of blood, said the doctor, who worked on him with three other doctors. The father of an 8-year-old girl, he had deep cuts on his nose and on his scalp, including some bruising of his brain.

Remember the guy who was hit by an air conditioner that came crashing down from the 6th floor a couple of months ago? This morning, the tabloids are reporting he’s suing the owner of the building  for $21 million. According to court papers, the victim, a Vietnam veteran, “received emergency treatment for a skull fracture, concussion and other serious injuries to his head which caused permanent brain damage.”

Anna Davis, Evening Standard
26 Sep 2008

A woman was hit by an air conditioning unit which fell on her today from a building in a busy street.

The victim, who is in her early forties, was taken to hospital with head, arm and leg injuries during the rush hour.

An air ambulance was sent to the scene in York Road near Waterloo station, as well as a road ambulance and motorbike.

A spokeswoman for the London Ambulance Service said that the woman's injuries were not life threatening.

She was taken to King's College hospital where she remains in a serious condition.

Onlookers who saw the appliance fall and hit the woman called the emergency services at about 9am.

A police spokesman confirmed that the Health and Safety Executive had been informed.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

NASHUA, N.H. --Two firefighters were injured when they were hit by an air conditioner that fell three stories from a burning apartment house. The fire gutted the building Tuesday morning and left eleven people homeless. Lt. Tim Soucy and Firefighter Steve Cote were beginning to climb a ladder to remove the air conditioner when the 70-pound unit fell, Assistant Fire Chief Mike Mansfield said. It hit Soucy on the head and knocked him out. It glanced off Cote. Soucy suffered several broken teeth and head and neck injuries. Cote also suffered head and neck injuries. Both were treated and released. 

November 5, 2010 10:38 PM

CHICAGO (STMW) – Man allegedly struck by falling airconditioner

A man filed suit Friday claiming he was hit by an airconditioningunit that fell from the second floor window of a west suburban building.

The victim claims that he was walking June 25, 2009 outside of a building in the Melrose Park area when he was struck by an airconditioning unit that fell from a second floor window, according to a suit filed in County Circuit Court.

The suit claims the victim sustained serious bodily injury, incurred medical expenses, experienced pain and suffering, and loss earnings.

The two-count suit seeks more than $80,000 in damages against the owners of the building.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011