3 Ways that Walls can Collapse

1. Curtain fall: Our wall collapse injury attorneys mention that this is just what it sounds like. The wall comes straight down like a curtain dropping in a theater. The fall leaves a mass of debris at the base of where the wall stood. The debris can fall either inward or outward.
2. 90-degree angle fall: This is when the wall drops away from the building at a 90-degree angle and falls in a footprint the full height of the wall, similar to how a tree falls. When the wall hits the ground, the impact can throw out a shower of debris. And a single brick can weigh 6 pounds, so you don’t want to be in range of the debris shower.

3. Inward or outward collapse: This sort of fall occurs when the wall begins to lean either inward or outward. The tilt at the top of the wall will generally force the lower part of the wall in the opposite direction.

The 90-degree angle fall generally represents the worst-case scenario as it hurls debris to a greater distance, which can potentially injure a larger number of people. So firefighters and other authorities creating a collapse zone around a building they believe might fall usually plan for the worst case and make the zone one and one half times the height of the building. (Captain Homer Robertson, FireRescue, February 2011)

The wall collapse injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC emphasize that it’s important to know about the dangers of falling walls and buildings as weather conditions this winter have been causing an unusual number of roof cave-ins and building collapses. Click the link to learn about some of the signs that a structure might be in imminent danger of collapse.