A 76-year-old woman in New York City was killed Sunday by a 7-foot solar panel that came loose because of strong winds as a powerful nor'easter battered the East Coast. At around 10:30 a.m. ET, a woman was found unresponsive on a walkway in the Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York police said Monday. Authorities determined that a solar panel struck the pedestrian in the head. She was taken to Lutheran Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The New York City Council is considering a new bill aimed at preventing Legionnaires' Disease after a deadly outbreak in Harlem this past summer. The proposed legislation requires monthly testing of cooling towers and mandates building owners to perform biocide treatments during warmer months when Legionella bacteria growth is most prevalent. The outbreak in Harlem resulted in seven deaths and 114 illnesses, with the source traced to cooling towers in two city buildings, including Harlem Hospital.