NEW YORK (1010 WINS)  -- Eight people suffered minor injuries Wednesday after a construction crane bucket fell about 53 stories, crashing into the mid-Manhattan building's glass facade and raining debris.

1010 WINS AUDIO: Carol D'Auria Reports

Deputy Fire Chief John Sudnik said the accident happened around 1 p.m. at One Bryant Park, the site of a Bank of America tower currently under construction at 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue.

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The crane's bucket fell from the top of the skyscraper, he said. The crane appeared structurally sound, but the bucket hit a strut that held the crane to the building and bent it.

"All of a sudden tiny little pellets of glass were flying every place,'' said Charles Fiesel, 42, who was walking on 6th Avenue.

He said he grabbed a woman who was passing by and they ducked under scaffolding at the base of the building, avoiding injury.

Those injured -- four passers-by and four construction workers -- suffered cuts and bruises.

Windows were broken on several floors of the tower, and glass was strewn on the street. The cleanup was expected to take several hours. It wasn't clear what caused the bucket to fall.

The tower is in final stages of construction. An inspection after the accident found other cracked pains of glass that had to be removed, said Richard Keilar, a spokesman for Tishman Speyer Properties, L.P., the construction manager. The area around the building reopened to traffic around 6:45 p.m.

Construction crews were evacuated after the accident and the site must be inspected before workers are allowed to return, Keilar said. He wasn't sure how long it would take, and he said the city buildings department first must decide whether the site was structurally stable.

Photos by Carol D'Auria

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