Marc Santia

12-Foot Hammock Flies Off Manhattan Building, Hits Tourist Walking to Visit World Trade Center

The woman, who reported pain in her head and back, was hospitalized in fair condition

An English tourist on her way to visit the World Trade Center was whacked in the head with a roughly 12-foot-long hammock that came flying off a Manhattan balcony Tuesday afternoon, law enforcement sources say.

The 48-year-old woman was walking with her husband when the hammock came flying out of the sky near Church Street and Park Place shortly before 5 p.m. The woman appeared to have taken the brunt of the hit. She stayed conscious, but was taken to a hospital with neck and back pain.

Her husband refused medical attention at the scene. 

Police believe the wind may have blown the wooden-framed hammock off of a nearby luxury building's terrace. They say no criminality is suspected.

Witnesses said they heard a loud boom and rushed to the woman's aid.

"I heard the noise, I turned back around and there was a hammock and a lady lying on the floor," Danny Gallagher said, estimating the hammock was about 12 feet long. 

"She looked like she was in shock. Her eyes were batting a few times, she wasn't talking," he said. "She was trying to move, but we were telling her not to move." 

Like police, Gallagher figured the wind must have blown the hammock off the roof. Forecasters had said gusts of up to 35 mph were possible that afternoon.

Building owners in New York City are advised to secure loose, lightweight objects when wind gusts above 45 mph. No advisory was sent out Tuesday because wind gusts were expected to be lower.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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