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100 ceiling panels removed from Massachusetts subway station after rider's near-miss
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MTBA) said workers removed around 100 ceiling panels after one almost fell on a commuter at the Harvard Station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Credit: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority via Storyful)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - A subway rider is grateful to be alive and well after escaping harm when a ceiling panel fell inside a train station.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shared video of the March 1 incident at the Harvard Station in Cambridge.
The video showed the panel narrowly missing the commuter as it plummeted to the ground. It's estimated the piece weighed approximately 25 pounds.
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The MBTA said its findings suggested that water had built up in the panel insulation, which was installed around 1980. Officials believe the metal and the rivets then corroded.
Local news outlets identified the rider as Cianna Navarro, who said she was in a "state of shock" following the incident.
"I didn’t really understand the severity of it until the MBTA came out and said it was up to 25 pounds," Navarro said. "Once I had gathered that information, it kind of felt like a second wave of shock, of understanding how bad it potentially could’ve been."
Officials have removed around 100 ceiling panels after the incident.
Storyful contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.