PITTSBURGH — A bizarre accident involving a toilet happened at the City-County building on Monday morning. It shattered and injured a city employee.
It’s the same building 11 Investigates has reported on for poor conditions and broken items for months now.
>>> 11 Investigates: City of Pittsburgh-owned buildings in shambles
Video of the toilet shows the tank shattered with sharp jagged edges of porcelain sticking up.
It happened Monday morning on the fifth floor, not far from the Mayor’s offices.
11 Investigates obtained the emergency dispatch call.
Dispatcher: Along with EMS and the Sheriff’s units, requesting a city officer respond in the Mayor’s office area. They have a 65-year-old male with a gash to his leg after having a toilet explode.
A spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey’s office told 11 Investigates the employee was injured when a plumbing fixture failed on the toilet.
The man reportedly suffered a cut to his leg, but managed to walk to the ambulance for treatment.
“The employee is currently recovering from minor, non-life threatening injuries and is expected to be released from the hospital today,” said a city spokesperson in an email statement to 11 Investigates.
“We’re not taken care of our own house,” said City Councilman Anthony Coghill.
Coghill said he’s relieved the employee wasn’t seriously injured.
For months now, 11 Investigates has been reporting on the poor conditions at the City-County building, the City Municipal Courts building, and other city-owned facilities.
We showed you peeling paint, broken urinals, fountains with mold and elevators that don’t work.
>>> 11 Investigates Exclusive: Money for broken city elevators used to buy furniture
At the Police and Fire Training Academy, instructors and recruits had been without heat for months after the boiler broke. Instructors set up space heaters just to stay warm.
>>> 11 Investigates: Pittsburgh police & fire training academy has been without heat for months
After 11 Investigates broke the story, the boiler was fixed weeks later, just in time for those single-digit temperatures.
Coghill, who’s also a contractor, said things need to change, and quickly.
“I notice every crooked shutter and every dripping faucet, I’m afraid to do an in-depth look at all of our facilities because I’m afraid of what I would find,” said Coghill.
Coghill added that many city-owned buildings need some serious improvements and upgrades, but he acknowledged that will cost a lot of money, and it may be difficult to accomplish during a lean budget these next couple of years.
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