Worker has lucky escape
ONE car was crushed and police dogs were called in to search rubble after a double brick wall collapsed onto a footpath at Hurlstone Park just before noon on Monday, February 24.
Acting superintendent Steve Brown from Fire and Rescue NSW (FRSNW) said they received a Triple Zero call to a building collapse on New Canterbury Road, near the intersection of Melford Street, at 11.50pm.
He said their urban search and rescue (USAR) teams responding to the call used technical equipment including cameras and acoustic devises, as well bringing in police USAR dogs to scour the site to ensure no-one was trapped beneath the rubble.
A worker at an adjoining building site, Hayssam Kraitem was just finishing up his lunch break when he and his colleagues heard the wall come down.
He says he was shocked when he realised his car was beneath the pile of bricks.
“I always park there. I normally sit in my car and eat, but this time I sat down on a chair for my lunch,” he said.
“I’m so lucky.
“The best thing is that no-one was injured.”
“Police did get my wallet out of the car and gave it to me.”
While the cause of the collapse is yet to be determined, the early indications are that it may be related to excavation work at a neighbouring building site.