A Philadelphia woman was struck and killed by a piece of flying plywood during a windy day in New York City only four months before her wedding day.
Tina-Thuy Nguyen, 37, was walking east on West 12th Street in Greenwich Village shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday. At the time, sustained winds were near 30 mph and even hit as high as 45 mph in other parts of the city.
The strong wind gusts caused a 4-by-8 piece of plywood to fly off a security fence at a construction site across the street. The plywood then struck Nguyen at a high speed, police said.
Nguyen collapsed to the ground and hit her head on the sidewalk. She suffered severe head trauma, bruising and lacerations, according to investigators.
Nguyen was pronounced dead shortly after midnight at Bellevue Hospital. A Medical Examiner will determine an exact cause of death.
Nguyen worked at a real estate company prior to her death. She had lived in Philadelphia since she was 14 but moved to New York eight months ago to be with her fiancé, according to a family friend. The two were set to get married in July.
Her fiancé Alejandro Beitler released a statement Wednesday.
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"She always saw the best in everyone," he wrote. "She was always reminding me to see the same. We were together for five of the best years of our lives. We planned to be married in July of this year. The family and I have decided to bury her in Philadelphia. This is the most devastating loss. She was the woman of my dreams. I hope people will remember her by seeing the best in one another and treating each other with true kindness."
