A tire swing in Tompkins Square Park on Tuesday. Aleim Perkins, 39, of Harlem was killed on Monday when a tire swing he was playing with swung back too hard and hit him in his face. The Arch Tire Swing by Landscape Structures “tire” isn’t made with any rubber at all, but is a circle of rock-hard ethyl vinyl acetate plastic molded over steel, according to the company. The piece of play equipment was purchased by the Parks Department in 2009. (Photo: Michael Appleton for The New York Times)
Manhattan
A 39-year-old man died this week after being hit in the face with a tire swing in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village, the police said on Tuesday, according to a report in the NY Times.
A spokesman for the Police Department said the man, Aleim Perkins of Harlem, was unconscious in the park when emergency officials arrived on Monday. He was pronounced dead at Beth Israel Medical Center. The exact cause of death was not known, the police said.
Aleim Perkins was in the park with his 6-year-old neice Leela on Monday when tragedy struck.
The tire swing hovers about two feet from the ground, and is attached to a bright yellow structure by three long chains.
Bystanders at the scene told parks officials that the victim, who was visiting the park with a young relative, appeared to be shadowboxing with the swing when it hit him in the face.
Accidents involving play equipment are not uncommon across New York City’s 1,700 parks and playgrounds, but they are usually relatively minor.
Tire swings are relatively scarce these days amid more modern climbing structures and play sets. Parks officials said on Tuesday evening that they had not uncovered any record of a previous fatality in a city park involving a tire swing.
Tompkins Square Park in the East Village. (Photo: Astrid Stawiarz)
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ban them!
ReplyDeleteReally surprising. Landscape Structures makes top-notch play equipment. I saw other reports that described the man as very aggressively pushing the swing around. There certainly was no child on it. Is banning the equipment really the best answer here?
ReplyDelete