Uber driver thought he was safe when he escaped burning building on firefighter's ladder...then the unthinkable happened
Ashiq Hussain, 53, and another person were seen on bystander video climbing down an FDNY ladder from the top floor of a Brooklyn apartment on Monday when the ladder's upper portion gave way and sent Hussain plummeting to the ground.
Firefighters were shown quickly gathering around him as the father-of-four lied limp on the sidewalk.
Emergency crews immediately put Hussain on a stretcher and brought in a second ladder.
A medical examiner determined Hussain died from blunt-force trauma, the New York Daily News reported.
Relatives of Hussain, an Uber driver who is originally from Pakistan, blamed the fire department for his tragic death.
'They did really wrong. They took the head of the family,' Hussain's cousin, Mazhar Iqbal, told the Daily News.
'They ruined the family's life.'
Hussain and his roommate were seen climbing down an FDNY ladder from the upper floor of a Brooklyn apartment when the top portion gave out and sent Hussain plummeting to the ground
Hussain's wife and four children were set to move to the US to finally be with the 53-year-old, who had moved to the country three decades prior, the Daily News reported.
'He's worked hard for his family,' the owner of M9 Deli and Grill, located below Hussain's apartment, told the outlet.
'He actually came in recently and told us he was so happy his family was finally coming.
'He was a very nice, respectful person. He comes in here, he checks on us, [saying] "Hi, how are you guys?" He knows my father. We're basically family. It's tragic. Tragic.'
The FDNY said it was aware of the incident and was investigating the 'facts and circumstances surrounding the tragic death of a civilian immediately,' the Daily News reported.
The ladder is no longer being used as the fire department investigates.
Hussain lived in the apartment with two roommates. The other two made it out safely, and one called Hussain's family to let them know that the father was being rushed to the hospital.
The rideshare driver had called Iqbal only moments before to tell him: 'I'm standing by the window' as the fire caused smoke to fill the unit.
'He was trying to breathe from the outside because inside there was a lot of smoke,' his cousin told the Daily News.
'I told him: "Be careful, soon the firemen are going to come and you can hang up the phone." I told him: "Be careful when you're going out to the ladder," because he is older and he was overweight.'
Hussain had been the one to alert his roommates to the fire. He worked overnight shifts and had just returned home when the blaze erupted started around 7am Monday, the outlet reported.
'This is a guy who literally saved two lives just minutes before he lost his own,' an unidentified family friend told the Daily News. 'A true hero.'
His family and friends remembered him as kind and hardworking person.
'I don't think you'd find a single person who had anything bad to say about him. He was always up there, right up at the front of the line to help people,' another friend told the outlet.
Hussain worked hard to fund his four children's education, and was even looking for a new place to live that would fit his entire family once they arrived in New York.
The family is now working to get his body back to Pakistan to be buried, the outlet reported.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Boeing sued by flight attendants over MAX 9 mid-air panel blowout
Aug 1 (Reuters) - Four flight attendants on the Alaska Airlines (ALK.N), opens new tab 737 MAX 9 plane that experienced a mid-air cabin panel blowout in January last year are suing Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab for physical and emotional injuries. In separate lawsuits, they are seeking compensation for past and future economic damages, citing physical and mental injuries, emotional distress and other financial costs. "Each of the four flight attendants acted courageously, following their training and putting their passengers' safety first while fearing for their lives," Tracy Brammeier, the attorney representing each of the plaintiffs, said. "They deserve to be wholly compensated for this life-altering traumatic experience." Boeing declined to comment, while Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. The lawsuits were filed on Tuesday in Seattle's King County Superior Court and accuse Boeing of negligence and failure to exercise reasonable care in the production, sale and repair of 737 MAX jets and its parts. "Boeing knew or should have known of the quality control issues present in its production of the 737 MAX line of aircraft," the filings said. The incident sparked a crisis for the planemaker and prompted the U.S. Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into the company and declare that Boeing was not in compliance with a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement. Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Boeing had failed to provide adequate training, guidance and oversight to prevent the incident. The board criticized Boeing's safety culture and its failure to install four key bolts in the panel during production, and accused the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of ineffective oversight.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Brit tourist, 47, drowns after cooling off in the sea during boat tour on Turkish holiday
A British tourist has drowned in Turkey, according to local reports. The 47-year-old man was on a boat tour in Marmaris, on the Mediterranean coast, when the tragic incident occurred. He is said to have entered the sea and was later found motionless. The man was discovered by sailors nearby who pulled him from the water and took him to shore. The Coast Guard team was on hand to offer assistance. However, despite medics' best attempts, he was pronounced dead. His body was then taken to the Muğla Forensic Medicine Institute to determine his cause of death. According to local media, authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances of his death.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Cops hunt for man who allegedly killed four people before leaving their baby girl on random front lawn
Authorities in Tennessee are on the hunt for a convicted felon who allegedly killed four people and left their baby girl on a random front lawn. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced it is searching for Austin Robert Drummond, 28, in connection with the quadruple homicide of Adrianna Williams, 20; Matthew Wilson, 21; Cortney Rose, 38; and Braydon Williams, 15. Drummond had dated a relative of Williams', Dyer and Lake County District Attorney Danny Goodman told WJHL. He reassured the public that there is no further threat to the public as he explained that the victims were not 'randomly chosen,' WMC reports. However, Drummond remains on the loose and police warn he should be considered armed and dangerous. He is now wanted on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and unlawful firearm possession, and the US Marshals Service is even offering up to $7,500 for any information leading to his arrest. The suspect was last seen driving his white Audi A3 sedan with visible damage to the drivers' side and the Tennessee license plate RI 01896. Drummond is also described as being around five-foot-10-inches, about 190 pounds with blue eyes, brown hair and a goatee - though authorities note he may have altered his appearance in recent days. Police say they were first alerted about the quadruple homicide on Tuesday when a good Samaritan in a quiet, rural town in northwest Tennessee spotted an infant in a car set alone on the front lawn. The resident reported that a dark-colored minivan or white SUV had pulled into the yard, dropped off the child and sped away. As law enforcement then tried to locate the infant's family, a second, far more chilling discovery was made only hours later in nearby Lake County. Chilling dispatch audio reveals that reveals that police there received a call at around 10.26pm reporting Rose and her daughter missing. The caller could be heard saying they were actively searching the family's home with a flashlight. Eventually, investigators found the four bodies in a dense, wooded area. On Wednesday, the foursome were all confirmed to be the immediate family of the abandoned child. Adrianna and Matthew were the baby's parents, and Cortney was the maternal grandmother. Braydon was also Adrianna's younger brother. Authorities now believe that Drummond left the infant on the lawn just minutes before carrying out a coordinated killing of the family in a neighboring county. The cause of the family's deaths remains unclear as is the condition in which they were found, but sources close to the investigation have described it as a 'gruesome, execution-style' killing. Drummond had a previous criminal conviction for aggravated robbery and was sentenced to 13 years behind bars, WREG reports. He was finally released in September. The suspect is now also facing additional charges stemming from his time in prison, including attempted first degree murder and drug charges. 'He's not a stranger to violent offenses, so he is a dangerous individual and people just need to take precautions,' District Attorney Goodman said of Drummond, who is now on the state's 'most wanted' list.
