8 Injured in Brooklyn from Another Demolition Related Bldg Collapse | DENENA | POINTS

8 Injured in Brooklyn from Another Demolition Related Bldg Collapse

Early investigations into a Brooklyn building collapse that injured 8 workers on Prospect Place found that workers were doing interior demolition work without permits. As the deadly collapse into a Salvation Army store in Center City Philadelphia this past summer demonstrates, demolition work on old, vacant buildings can be exceedingly dangerous and must be done carefully.

The top floor of a three-story building collapsed through the interior down to the first floor just after noon on Thursday. 8 workers received serious injuries, and one witness reported that at least one was bleeding from the head. Our building collapse injury attorneys emphasize that the FDNY sys that none of the injuries appeared to life threatening however.

News accounts mention that Eduard Katanov of 877 Belmont Group Realty purchased the building just two weeks ago for slightly over $300,000, and that Mr. Katanov is an agent for Reliable Home Sales in Brooklyn (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 2/27/14). OSHA and the NYC Department of Buildings are conducting an ongoing investigation into the building collapse on Prospect Place and have shut down the worksite.

The building collapse injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC reiterate that when renovating or demolishing older buildings, especially those that have been vacant for some time, it’s essential to get proper permits and have a structural engineer examine the building for any special dangers that might be present. Once demolition or renovation begins, another critical element is ensuring proper bracing of walls, ceilings, and floors as work proceeds.

On older buildings, structural members might have been cut without permission, connections may have loosened, and key elements of the structure might have separated from each other. Removing a part of a wall, a support member, or any other minor part of the unsafe building could trigger a sudden and unexpected collapse.

While our building collapse injury attorneys understand that obtaining proper permits from the NYC DOB can be a time-consuming and frustrating process, there’s a good reason that these permits are required. The building owner was seriously negligent in ordering his workers to proceed on the building demolition and renovation work without obtaining those permits and properly assessing the structural integrity of the three-story building.

Due to that negligence, the injured workers could be eligible to hold Mr. Katanov and his company financially accountable for all the injuries they’ve suffered. And they should. Employers have a duty to ensure safe workplace conditions for their workers and should not be allowed to shirk that duty to the detriment of their employees.

Contact the experienced building collapse injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC to learn more about your options after a serious structural collapse injury, and how to hold the party responsible financially liable for the needless harm you’ve suffered. We offer a completely free and confidential initial legal consultation. You have no obligation to hire an attorney. Reach us by phone at 713-807-9500 or just fill out our online contact form to schedule your free consultation.