#MTA basket meant to catch falling subway debris plummets and injures one

No, that’s not the sky falling — it’s a piece of MTA equipment meant to prevent debris from doing just that.

A pedestrian was injured when a wire basket installed to catch shrapnel from elevated subway tracks plummeted in Brooklyn on Sunday, officials said.

Transit crews were doing maintenance work on the J/Z line at Alabama Avenue and Fulton Street in East New York around 11:50 a.m. when the piece of equipment fell, according to the MTA.

First responders treated and transported the injured person to Jamaica Hospital, the FDNY said. There was no immediate word on their condition.

An MTA spokesman said the agency was investigating the “unacceptable” incident.

“This is unacceptable and we are concerned for the person who may have been struck,” Aaron Donovan said in a statement.

“We are investigating this isolated incident and undertaking a thorough review of procedures to ensure it never happens again.”

The MTA announced in November that it was taking steps to stop debris from falling off elevated subway tracks after a series of high-profile incidents, including one where a giant piece of metal crashed through a livery cab’s rear window in Queens.

That forced transit workers to conduct a systemwide inspection of all 325,000 baskets already installed under elevated tracks to catch falling debris.

The agency also said at the time that it would be installing new baskets and more netting to catch the dangerous shrapnel.