The collapse of balconies that cause injuries are not solely a problem in the United States, as several recent incidents reveal. Although personal injury and liability laws vary between countries, the issues of responsibility and causation are the same.
Recent International Balcony Collapse Stories
In Australia, a balcony on a home collapsed and fell 15 feet, trapping victims under the debris. One of the women involved had her arm severed by the collapse. Although the exact cause is unknown the incident occurred during Christmas holidays, and an Australian official noted that the most balcony collapses happen during holiday periods when families and friends gather together on unstable structures.
Last year in London, two people were killed and six injured in a balcony collapse that happened under unusual circumstances. Two men had been delivering sofas to a building under renovation, and apparently the weight of the sofas on the railing of the balcony caused it to collapse. They were trying to hoist the sofas over the balcony railing with ropes when the entire structure gave way.
In Canada, a balcony collapsed during a house party, sending six people to the hospital. The balcony was part of an addition to a home that was designed to convert it into two apartments. Photos of the building show the balcony as an awkward appendage at the top of the building, with shaky support beams. At the time of construction even neighbors complained about it, and observed that it appeared unsafe.
In Scotland, both a second and third floor balcony collapsed at the same time, injuring 15 people attending a party. The party took place on the second floor balcony, which was somehow attached to the third floor balcony. When the second floor balcony collapsed under the weight of the crowd, it brought the third floor balcony crashing down on top of them. This is clearly an instance of poor design when two balconies support systems are so interconnected that there is a simultaneous collapse.
Finally, back in London a landlord was fined over $50,000 for failure to maintain balconies on a property that he owned. Apparently, the owner had known of the weak and defective balcony for five years prior to the accident, but failed to make any repairs to correct the situation. This incident underscores how building owners can neglect balconies as potential safety hazards, and can be reluctant to spend the money to repair the hazardous structures.
In all of these cases, there was a combination of poor design or maintenance along with failure to take responsibility for safety by owners or tenants of buildings. Even if a tenant invites too many guests on to a balcony, they have some fault for failing to recognize the safety issue. Local laws on personal injury and liability vary, but almost every country has some type of regulation and building codes that must be adhered to for the purpose of public safety.