Big Rig Plows Into 3 Homes In Staten Island Neighborhood

Staten Island, New York – Residents of a Staten Island neighborhood had quite a shocking wake up call this morning. A big rig plowed into three homes on Staten Island at approximately 6 a.m. today at 223, 227 and 229 South Ave., in the Mariners Harbor neighborhood. Witnesses told CBS2 how stunned they were. “I come outside and I see the tractor-trailer and I’m like, this is unbelievable,” Erick Stavrou said. Another resident, Patricia Willis, described the sound as a “boom” when the rig struck three homes along the quiet neighborhood street. Incredibly, the driver was not seriously injured and no one inside the homes were injured.

FDNY Deputy Chief Phil Saolimeo said, “Four buildings had to be evacuated. One building had to be shored up for safety. We had to offload about 280 gallons of diesel fuel from the tractor-trailer.” The Chief surmised it was going to take emergency crews hours to remove the big rig from the scene.

CBS 2 shared more exclusive video of the scene via their Facebook page.

Willis says this was an accident waiting to happen because it is common for big rigs to speed through this stretch of the neighborhood. “They come over fast. You can hear their loads shift,” Willis said. “A lot of times you hear them and you’re waiting for the crash to happen,” she told CBS2.

The rig was hauling steel rods. It is not yet clear why or how the driver lost control, but one this is clear and that is it is going to take the folks in this community a while to repair the damage done.

Video is shared courtesy of CBS2 New York.