Man injured after toilet explodes
Published: 2013 October 10 12:05:07 (4742 Views)
A Brooklyn man was seriously injured by an exploding toilet in his co-op and remains so traumatized by it that he uses a rope to flush from a safe distance outside the bathroom.
Michel Pierre was one of four tenants injured Oct. 2 at the Caton Power development in Flatbush by powerful blasts from their bowls, the Daily News has learned.
"I'm afraid to flush the toilet right now," said Pierre, 58, who needed 30 stitches to close shrapnel wounds on his head, arm and legs.
"It sounds silly but I'm still scared," he said. "Maybe someday it goes away but right now I'm in pain."
Pierre said his peace of mind has been shattered like the throne in his ninth-floor flat on Ocean Parkway.
The water had been turned off that day in the 19-story building while a plumbing contractor installed a backflow prevention valve.
Around 11 p.m. Pierre checked if the pressurized flush-valve toilet was working and pulled the handle. He'll never forget what happened next.
"I remember there was a 'boom' and the thing exploded in my face," Pierre said. "I was blinded and pieces flew all over the place."
Pierre was briefly unconscious and awoke covered with blood. Firefighters from nearby FDNY engine and ladder companies responded to a "utility emergency" in the building, a source said.
Pierre's cuts were treated at Methodist Hospital. Two other injured tenants were taken to Kings County Medical Center and a fourth to Woodhull Medical Center, according to the source.
"Toilets are supposed to flush, not explode," said Pierre's lawyer Sanford Rubenstein who is preparing a lawsuit against Century Management, which runs the building.
"This victim is entitled to damages for the serious injuries he sustained through no fault of his own."
Experts said a buildup of air pressure in the pipes during the repairs is the likely culprit.
Theresa Racht, a lawyer for the co-op board, said the building's engineer and its insurance carrier are still looking into the bizarre incident.
"When the water was turned back on, the pressure caused a burst of air that came up through the pipe," Racht said. "It was totally unexpected. We're looking into whether this was preventable or a one-time fluke."
Pierre, an information technology specialist for a government agency, said he doesn't know when he can go to the bathroom in peace again.
"I can't stop thinking about it every time I look at the bowl," Pierre said, who was relieved that he wasn't sitting down during the fateful flush.
- NYDN
Michel Pierre was one of four tenants injured Oct. 2 at the Caton Power development in Flatbush by powerful blasts from their bowls, the Daily News has learned.
"I'm afraid to flush the toilet right now," said Pierre, 58, who needed 30 stitches to close shrapnel wounds on his head, arm and legs.
"It sounds silly but I'm still scared," he said. "Maybe someday it goes away but right now I'm in pain."
Pierre said his peace of mind has been shattered like the throne in his ninth-floor flat on Ocean Parkway.
The water had been turned off that day in the 19-story building while a plumbing contractor installed a backflow prevention valve.
Around 11 p.m. Pierre checked if the pressurized flush-valve toilet was working and pulled the handle. He'll never forget what happened next.
"I remember there was a 'boom' and the thing exploded in my face," Pierre said. "I was blinded and pieces flew all over the place."
Pierre was briefly unconscious and awoke covered with blood. Firefighters from nearby FDNY engine and ladder companies responded to a "utility emergency" in the building, a source said.
Pierre's cuts were treated at Methodist Hospital. Two other injured tenants were taken to Kings County Medical Center and a fourth to Woodhull Medical Center, according to the source.
"Toilets are supposed to flush, not explode," said Pierre's lawyer Sanford Rubenstein who is preparing a lawsuit against Century Management, which runs the building.
"This victim is entitled to damages for the serious injuries he sustained through no fault of his own."
Experts said a buildup of air pressure in the pipes during the repairs is the likely culprit.
Theresa Racht, a lawyer for the co-op board, said the building's engineer and its insurance carrier are still looking into the bizarre incident.
"When the water was turned back on, the pressure caused a burst of air that came up through the pipe," Racht said. "It was totally unexpected. We're looking into whether this was preventable or a one-time fluke."
Pierre, an information technology specialist for a government agency, said he doesn't know when he can go to the bathroom in peace again.
"I can't stop thinking about it every time I look at the bowl," Pierre said, who was relieved that he wasn't sitting down during the fateful flush.
- NYDN
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