“An older gentleman had a big cut on his eye, and a lady on her forehead. But the worst was the older guy, he had blood gushing from his eyebrow.
“It’s a bit of a shock.
“Everyone responded pretty much instantly. Police were here quickly. The emergency services were really good. Not something you expect though,” he said.
Police closed a section of footpath on Queen St. Photo / Dean Purcell
They described their shock as they sat and suddenly got struck on the head.
A woman was injured after masonry fell from a building on Queen St. Photo / Dean Purcell
“Just now, as we sat outside, something fell from the building and hit her head,” the couple said.
They insisted they were all right and said they did not want to make a fuss.
“But an odd thing to happen,” the couple said.
Auckland Council compliance manager Adrian Wilson said officers have visited the scene and liaised with the body corporate manager and the owner of the apartment, where it appears a loose piece of masonry had fallen from the balcony. There is currently no sign of any further loose concrete, he said.
To ensure the safety of members of the public, the outside of the building will be assessed by abseilers this afternoon, arranged by the body corporate. A restriction has been placed around the area of impact on the street, Wilson said.
Police said they were assisting emergency services at a building on Queen St, where an object had fallen and shattered glass.
At least two pedestrians suffered moderate injuries and were being taken to a nearby medical centre for treatment.
Firefighters are going through the building to make sure the rest of the building is stable.
A nearby shopkeeper said an elderly woman was hit and injured by the falling concrete.
“It’s just bad luck, I suppose,” a shopkeeper who witnessed the incident told the Herald.
An area of the footpath on Queen St in central Auckland is cordoned off after masonry fell from a building hitting two people. Photo / Dean Purcell
An area of the footpath on Queen St in central Auckland is cordoned off after masonry fell from a building hitting a passerby and shattering a glass portico. Photo / Dean Purcell
“She was an old lady, only just got here to visit her daughter. There was blood over her head, a big drop,” she said.
The woman said it was “very scary” but was impressed by the swift police response.
Small bits of contents, about 5cm wide, were left scattered across the footpath.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Josh Pennefather said they were assisting police after debris fell from the roof of a Queen St property.
“We’re making access to the roof to assess where debris had fallen from,” Pennefather said.
