City Accident at Smith
posted by May 30 at 20:45 PM
onThis just in…
Tonight around 8:45PM the garage door that opens to the street at Smith on 15th in Capitol Hill fell down and exploded. There was lots of glass, blood, and screaming. It was like a scene from the Titanic.
Thanks, Slog tipper Mike. Can anyone confirm? Anyone at or near Smith when this happened?
UPDATE: Hansblix in comments…
I can confirm. I was standing just outside of the garage door when it came down. The employee guy who was trying to lower the door had his head go through a glass pane as the door fell on top of him. He managed to keep the door held up long enough that other patrons could get out of the way (it didn’t seem like anybody else was injured). He had a couple of good gashes on his head and face. The medics arrived quickly and from what I overheard they seemed to think he’d be fine—moderate head and face lacerations and possible neck injury. He was bloodied up but conscious.
UPDATE 2: Brian sends these photos…
Doesn’t quite look like a disaster of Titanic-esque proportions, but unpleasant just the same. Dominic and Jonah ran over to check things out, and will be posting something more substantial to Slog soon. I’m in D.C., gotta hit the sack, so signing off Slog for now….
I can confirm. I was standing just outside of the garage door when it came down. The employee guy who was trying to lower the door had his head go through a glass pane as the door fell on top of him. He managed to keep the door held up long enough that other patrons could get out of the way (it didn't seem like anybody else was injured). He had a couple of good gashes on his head and face. The medics arrived quickly and from what I overheard they seemed to think he'd be fine - moderate head and face lacerations and possible neck injury. He was bloodied up but conscious.
Pit bulls?
it's the cuuuuuurrrrseee....
geez, you guys are quick. this happened just an hour ago! good work
You're right! That space has always had bad luck! I wonder what will happen next?? On another note, there were a ton of cops in the key bank parking lot this morning around 6:00 am, there was one of those strange "CSI" looking vans as well. Anybody know what happened? I wonder if someone tried to break into Smith? Just a thought.
now that the facts are in, maybe you should take a bit of the sensationalism off of your spin, yo?
(oh, journalistic integrity prevents you from editing? from censoring by deletion?) what's the policy on that, yo?
Um, really? Wow. I can't believe that a single door falling down and hitting someone would merit that comparison.
boy, you guys are wusses. in nyc, we have to dodge falling cranes to go to brunch. oh, what i'd give to go back to the carefree days of falling garage doors. (sigh)
my 3 dinnermates and i were right under the door, as this whole thing unfolded. i wouldn't say it was like the titanic. but it was definitely one f'd up and surreal scene. despite the place being packed all night, it was a couple of us who held the door up and threw chair, tables, bottles, etc. of the way so that the poor Smith employee could get his head out of one of the pane's of glass (think jagged glass necklace), and then we lowered the whole door down to the ground covered in shards of glass. (thankfully we hear the employee only had to get a few stitches. looked horrible.) have to say, despite the chaos, the staff all jumped into action and did as much damage control immediately as they could to try to keep everyone safe. kudos.
the rest of the patrons just watched and waited for service to recommence. when i went to close out and leave a tip for our waiter, one guy demanded to know from the bartender where his Grey Goose and beer were. and when we walked outside to talk with the medics (who were there in less than 5 min), one gal couldn't help but yell over to her friend that there was finally a table available.
The previous Smith reviews and references in Slog suck it off so much that I'm surprised you're posting this!!
bravo
You guys totally scooped the NY Times on this. They're only just getting it on their website now. Bravo
Oh wow, I was there earlier but sat nowhere near the rolling door, honest. I love the Smith, I would never hurt it.
Grilled Gruyere and onion jam with bacon... gllllglelgll
I know the Smith employee in question. He is my live-in boyfriend. I watched them sew his face back together with about thirty stitches. In the process of getting clobbered by that door he (and one other employee) most likely saved the customers sitting closest to the door from getting hurt. It was a disaster and now he faces a painful recovery and some really bad scars. So yeah, congrads on being so unbelievably desensitized to someone elses trama and behaving like a bunch of high school kids gossiping about someone elses misfortune. Get a fucking life.
Having watched the accident happen right before my eyes (and thinking about it over and over this weekend), I must say it really is remarkable that nobody was more seriously injured, much less killed. That door was HEAVY, and essentially free-fell from a good 12 feet up. Unfortunately the bartender took the brunt of the damage. Had he not done so, many more people would have been seriously hurt.
It is disheartening to read the many insensitive comments in these threads. I suppose it seems like no big deal when in the end everyone is okay and the bartender just needs some stitches, but he really was seriously fucked up and a much more serious disaster was only narrowly averted.
Anyway, I hope the guy has a quick recovery and isn't in too much pain still. I also hope somebody else is picking up his medical bills.
We were there when it happened too; the bartender who was injured definitely saved a lot of people from being seriously hurt. I really hope he's doing ok and recovers We have been thinking about him all weekend and send our best wishes for a quick recovery.
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