A ceiling at an IHOP restaurant in New York City suddenly collapsed on customers, leading to nine injuries, according to PEOPLE. The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) revealed that the ceiling fell on Friday, September 5, in the Flatlands neighborhood location in Brooklyn.
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IHOP Restaurant Ceiling Injures 9 People After Falling
News 12 Long Island reported that a 10-by-10-inch section of the ceiling collapsed due to water damage, per the Department of Buildings. The outlet also spoke with a witness to the jarring incident.
“As I’m sitting down, I start hearing noises,” said bystander Jamie Lee. “And when I turn around, the entire ceiling was collapsing. So I was immediately trying to get out.”
Lee described how disappointed she was to not feel safe at a restaurant. “You know, I come to eat here. And I should have been safe while enjoying my meal,” Lee said. “And I wasn’t … I could have been potentially hurt worse than what I am now.”
The FDNY revealed the extent of the damage. “EMS treated a total of nine patients, all with minor injuries,” it said. “Five were transported to area hospitals, and four refused additional medical attention.”
Restaurant Closed Due To Inspections
A spokesperson for Mr. Stax Inc., IHOP’s franchise operator, sent a statement to PEOPLE concerning the accident.
“The safety and well-being of our guests and employees is our top priority,” said the spokesperson. “We are working to gather more information.”
They then announced that the affected IHOP location would be closed until further notice. “The restaurant will remain closed while inspections are underway, and we will take all steps to ensure the location meets our stringent safety standards before reopening.”
CBS News New York also reported that the Department of Buildings gave the restaurant owner a violation. This was due to the owner failing to maintain the building after experiencing water damage.
Currently, we have no updates on how the nine injured victims are faring. We can assume that since they had minor injuries, they are all recovering smoothly.