A terrifyingly close call occurred Friday afternoon for people walking near a busy downtown Calgary intersection over the noon hour.
Pedestrians were left stunned as a coffee table came flying from a ninth-floor apartment suite near the intersection of Seventh Avenue and Seventh Street Southwest and crashed to the street below.
The coffee table nearly hit Chris McKenzie who just happened to be on on his way to get a coffee.
“I know snow falls from buildings, but tables?” questioned McKenzie. “It was like a huge bang and that was the person banging the table on the window.
“Next thing I see is falling glass and that was it! Table lands ten feet behind me!”
He is still trying to process the close call; one that could have potentially killed him.
“I’m vibrating. I’ve been up and down stairs three times already to lose energy. I don’t know how to react. Somebody is looking out for me.”
Curious people walking by could hardly believe what had happened. Kola Adeniyi said the nearby Seventh Street CTrain platform was packed with people at the time.
“That’s what makes it scary. It could be anybody, anytime, anywhere. By the train station, the possibility is higher because of the foot traffic that’s scary,” said Adeniyi.
David Hidalgo works in the area and is considering proactive safety measures.
“We walk by here every day. I think I need to get a construction helmet,” Hidalgo said.
Calgary fire crews secured the gaping hole in the window with a piece of plywood.
Building staff tell Global News, one person was taken into police custody. The building is run by HomeSpace Society, an affordable housing complex for the vulnerable. CEO Bernadette Majdell said she doesn’t know what led up to the incident or why it escalated, but said it’s unlikely the resident will return.
“For the safety of our residents, I think what we found that perhaps this building isn’t the right building, in terms of support needed for this resident,” explained Majdell. “So I don’t anticipate them coming back here.”
Charges may be laid against the now former tenant.
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