- It rained in New York City on Thursday, which meant the subway system flooded as it usually does.
- Video posted online showed a deluge knocking a man off his feet at a Queens station.
- The MTA is blaming the deluge on a contractor of a nearby construction site.
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If it rains in New York, there's one thing you can bet on (besides wet socks): flooding subway stations.
Thursday's thunderstorm was no exception.
According to the MTA, the deluge that nearly swept the man in the above video onto the tracks as a train pulled into the station at Court Square, was because of inadequate drainage at a construction site that will eventually house the entrance currently hidden behind the (now damaged) wooden barriers.
"This was an absolutely unacceptable and avoidable incident caused by a contractor working on a residential development that could have put lives at risk," the state-controlled agency said. "We have already begun taking steps to make sure the developer and contractor are held accountable."
The agency did not identify the contractor at fault, and said no injuries were reported.
"We have already begun taking steps to make sure the developer and contractor are held accountable and this doesn't happen again," the statement continued.
Other videos show the full extent of flooding at the Queens subway station:
Here's the full statement from the MTA:
Yo @MTA Court Sq is flooded... pic.twitter.com/V60JgKOtsF
- Rose Minutaglio (@RoseMinutaglio) July 18, 2019
Here's a lengthy statement from the MTA on the videos. The MTA is blaming an outside contractor's "shocking lapse in best safety practices." The contractor did not have a proper pumping system at its nearby worksite to keep water from building up/breaching that wall, per MTA pic.twitter.com/ihVbzAdYZy
- Vincent Barone (@vinbarone) July 18, 2019