British woman seriously injured after hammock falls from New York building and lands on her head

A British tourist was seriously injured after being struck by a wooden hammock that fell off five-story building in a freak accident in New York.

The 48-year-old was walking along a street in Lower Manhattan when the hammock that was tied to a fifth-floor terrace was blown off by the wind, witnesses say.

The tourist was struck by the outdoor furniture that sailed off the building shortly before 5pm local time, the New York Post reports.

A witness told the newspaper a man who was walking alongside the victim cried: ““It fell! It hit her!”

Another said: “I heard a loud boom, and when I ran out, I saw a hammock on the sidewalk and the woman lying down right next to the hammock.

“She couldn’t move. She’s in bad shape. Her left leg was twisted up.”

Police believe wind may have blown the wooden framed hammock off the building's terrace.

The woman, who was reportedly walking alongside her husband before the incident, was rushed to hospital.

She was conscious and reported pain to her head and back. Her husband was not believed to be injured.

Officials said an investigation is ongoing.