Summer Blockbuster

One of the exciting things about living in a city is the increased chance for accidents and fires.

In the past year I have gotten to see a dead body laying on the sidewalk after a motorcycle accident, an SUV flip over on its roof and smash into the side of a store after doing 80mph on a residential street and slamming into another truck, and a parked car that exploded and caught fire to two surrounding cars.

These events are always a big spectacle and tend to draw big crowds of fellow curious Brooklynites. I enjoy the sense of camaraderie in our shared search for eyewitnesses and answers to our questions. "Did you see what happened?"

This morning I was woken by the THUP THUP THUP of a hovering helicopter.

After about ten or fifteen minutes of trying to block it out, I realized it was probably not just a traffic copter covering the usual gridlock. I decided it might be worth investigating.

I walked several blocks, using the two helicopters as a guide. It turned out that part of a building had collapsed and there were two trapped construction workers under the debris. The streets wre swamped with FDNY vehicles, rescue workers, and interested onlookers such as myself.

I worked my way closer and set up camp across the street from the accident site, trying to get a good eyeline into the chaos. Unfortunately there was a hook and ladder truck blocking any view of the scene, so I made sure I was next to the ambulance that was ready to receive whomever they pulled from the rubble.

Some onlookers had gotten to the roof of an adjoing building and were giving us thumbs-up/thumbs-down assessments of the situation. Several news camera-folk that had been wandering around found out how to get up there as well and I could hear news reporters fresh on the scene complain, "How the hell'd they get up there? Frank, find a way up there!"

The guy next to me was pulled aside to do a man-on-the-street interview about the incident. He didn't have much to say and I'm glad they didn't try to question me.

One of the guys on the roof shouted down to us on the street and gave two thumbs-up. "They're OK!"

By this time the cops had arrived to start herding people away from the action, so I figured it was time to call it a morning. I can always watch the highlights and stuff I missed on the news tonight.

There was drama, danger, excitement and the very real possibility of a dead body. Best of all, it was free! And besides, the new Superman movie doesn't come out unti tomorrow. I needed something!