Falling Plywood Kills Long Island Woman In Queens: Officials

QUEENS, NY — A Long Island woman died Thursday after a sheet of plywood blew off scaffolding and struck her in the head, as hazardous gales blew across New York City, police and elected officials said.

Xiang Ji, 67, was fatally struck by the plywood which fell from a building on Main Street near 41st Road in Flushing, according to police.

Medics rushed Ji, of Westbury, to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens Hospital where she later died, according to police.

Department of Building inspectors issued a stop work order to the building at 41-28 Main St. in August for construction work being done without a permit, city records show.

The agency also received an unconfirmed complaint on Jan. 3 that an illegal billboard had been erected.

City Council Member Peter Koo, who represents the Queens neighborhood, called on the city to shut down the building until "there is a greater understanding of this building's safety," he said.

"Such a horrific tragedy should never happen to anyone who is simply walking down the sidewalk," Koo said. "It is a clear example of why building owners and city agencies need to ensure building facades are safe, especially during periods of high winds."

The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather alert for Thursday and said winds could blow at up to 50 mph.

Update: An earlier version of this story reported the plywood came from scaffolding, but the NYPD press office issued a correction at 3:50 p.m. noting it came from a building.