By Ben Fractenberg and Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo Staff
MIDTOWN EAST — A cement truck plunged into a construction pit on East 56th Street Wednesday afternoon with the driver trapped inside, fire and police officials said.
The truck was making a delivery to the large construction site between Second and Third avenues about 1:30 p.m. when it backed into the pit, tumbling 20 to 30 feet down, FDNY and NYPD sources said.
The driver was removed from the vehicle conscious and alert, and transported to New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital, fire officials added.
The truck's hood was ripped from the vehicle and lying near rubble at the site.
“There should be someone watching,” said Jill Matthews, 63, who lives nearby and thought the site should take more safety precautions. “It’s like a city in there.”
Another bystander, who works at a restaurant across the street from the construction site, saw the driver being removed from the scene on a stretcher.
“It makes me think of how many people died making this city,” said Suzana Teremic, 36.
An FDNY source noted that the incident appeared accidental and didn’t occur as a result of the ground giving way.
