BROOKLINE, MASS. (WHDH) - A car owner described the moment she realized part of an apartment building came crashing down onto her vehicle in Brookline Sunday.
The building on Vernon Street, which is undergoing renovation, gave out on Sunday morning when the structure’s second and third floors collapsed into the rear and the side of neighboring buildings, said Brookline Fire Chief John Sullivan.
Home security cameras caught the moment on camera, showing several floors of the vacant building collapsing onto parked cars below — including Erica Koval’s Rivian.
“Whenever you see a car, you can’t help but think of who is sitting where and my first thought was, ‘That’s where my husband sits,’ and it’s just four layers of brick deep in his seat. And that’s where my kids sit, and the car’s just caved in where they sit,” said Koval.
The flattened electric car was eventually towed away.
“The nuisance of insurance claims and all that, but that’s a wonderful nuisance to have and we’re not dealing with hospital visits,” Koval said.
She said her husband was outside shoveling five minutes before the collapse.
Residents of the entire block were evacuated while crews made sure surrounding buildings were still safe.
“One of the neighbors was out starting his vehicle and then its my understanding he left his vehicle and the building collapsed right behind him,” Sullivan said.
The entire building will now be demolished, a task crews quickly set to work on.
“Nobody got hurt,” a witness said. “That’s what’s most important.”
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