7 Engineer Recommendations for Safe Deck Construction

The deck collapse injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC emphasize that deck failure accidents and the resulting injuries are 100% preventable. After a deck is built, thorough, twice-yearly inspections and regular maintenance can help prevent a collapse accident. But careful design and construction, with inspections during the building process, are essential elements in ensuring future deck safety for you, your family, and guests at your home. Frank Woeste and Joseph Lofersky of Virginia Tech have written an in-depth report on deck safety, from which we extract a few of their recommendations:

1. Decks and other outdoor structures should be designed and built as a unified system of interrelated components rather than as a collection of individual parts.

2. The architect and specificer must be diligent when specifying decks, porches, or balconies and their guardrails. These structures almost always require expertise in waterproofing specifications and details to prevent their later failures from rot caused by moisture seepage.

3. The connection of the band joist to the deck joist should be secured with through bolts rather than with nails or screws placed in the end grain of the joists.

4. Proper screw and bolt installation and spacing must be considered and followed in securing the deck to the house.

5. The type of lumber and posts used in the deck needs to be carefully considered because modern wood treatments often cause faster corrosion of connection hardware than older treatments.

6. Decks need to be built with proper flashing that will protect the house from rot caused by moisture seepage through the connections to the deck.

7. Deck guards need to be built to proper IRC and local requirements to support at least a 200-pound load applied in any direction.

See the report, Structural Safety of Wood Decks and Deck Guards, by Joseph R. Lofersky, PhD and Frank E. Woeste, PE, PhD, 11/2013, for more information on safe deck specifications.

The Importance of Good Safety Procedures in Building Demolition Work

You may be following the complicated set of hearings, inquiries, claims, theories, and admonitions attending on the deadly collapse of a demolition project through the roof of a Salvation Army thrift store in Philadelphia several months ago. Our structural collapse injury lawyers mention that the deadly Philadelphia incident has garnered more public attention than any other unexpected collapse relating to demolition work over the past months. But it’s actually only one of many partial or total building collapses that has occurred in that timeframe while buildings were being demolished.

The structural collapse injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC emphasize that such collapses often injure, trap, or kill the workers employed on the demolition. The Salvation Army store collapse is particularly tragic because the 6 people it killed and the 13 people it injured were not workers, but shoppers and employees in an adjacent building who were unaware of the danger.

The Deadly Dangers of Demolition Destruction

Demolition work is inherently dangerous. It is often unpredictable how and when buildings will come down. Undocumented and inexpert renovations and repairs over the years could have weakened a building’s structure and made some parts more unstable than others. Rot in structural elements like joints and trusses may have led to dangerous weaknesses. Connections between structural members might have loosened, corroded, or disappeared altogether. So our structural collapse injury lawyers emphasize that it’s vital to have clear and adequate safety procedures, and to properly train workers for demolition jobs.

2 Typical Examples of Demolition Accidents

As an example, this weekend a demolition worker operating a crane escaped unharmed after a 6-story building suddenly collapsed onto his crane. The man walked away after a building collapsed and buried his crane in bricks and debris in Dayton, Ohio, where he was helping to tear down the old Dayton Daily News building downtown.

That the worker walked away from the 6-story building collapse unscathed may be attributed to following the safety procedures that say that an equipment operator should stay inside his equipment cage when faced with a sudden collapse, and wait for the dust to clear before attempting to exit.

Also this week, our structural collapse injury lawyers report that a worker escaped a building collapse with only minor injuries in Denver, Colorado. The man was working to help demolish a wall on the 2^ndfloor in the old Byers Junior High School when a wall collapsed. Denver fire crews used electric saws to cut the man from the debris that had buried him as he was working to renovate the old school so that it might host a new charter school.

2 Common Mistakes that Lead to Structural Collapse

Two common mistakes in both demolition and construction work lead to many of the unexpected structural collapses that occur:

• Failing to adequately brace structures as they undergo construction, renovation, or demolition, and
• Piling materials for convenience on incomplete parts of structures like roofs that can’t take the load.

Learn More about the Causes of Structural Collapses and What to do if You or a Loved One are Injured

Download our FREE report. And if you have questions about your specific injury accident, don’t hesitate to contact the experienced structural collapse injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC for a free and confidential initial legal consultation. We never charge you attorneys’ fees unless we win your case, and you’re not obligated to hire an attorney. Your initial consultation is entirely free and without obligation. Take advantage of our more than 12 years of successful experience with complex injury accidents. Call us at 713-807-9500 or fill out our online contact form to schedule your FREE legal consultation.

7 Things to Look for when You Check Your Outdoor Deck for Safety

Summer is the season of sudden deck collapses, with accompanying injuries. This summer has already seen several serious deck collapse incidents, including the collapse of a large deck at a Miami area sports bar that dumped about 100 people into Biscayne Bay.

Our deck collapse injury lawyers emphasize that it’s important to check your deck frequently for safety. Check the deck thoroughly at least once per year; twice is preferable. If you see any signs that indicate your deck might be in need of replacement or repair, you might want to have a professional inspector experienced with outdoor structures take a look at your deck. And hire a licensed, reputable contractor to make any needed repairs or replacement.

7 things to look for when you check your outdoor deck for safety are:

1. Missing or loose connections: Our deck collapse injury lawyers point out that failure of structural connections is one of the major causes of deck collapses. Decks connection hardware should consist of appropriate bolts, screws, and metal connectors. If your deck was built using nails as the connecting hardware, the structure could fail at any time. And you need to repair and reinforce the deck using appropriate connection hardware.

2. Loose or unstable guardrails: Injuries and fatalities could occur if a deck guardrail gives way suddenly. The costs of the resulting liability could greatly outweigh the minor costs of repair and maintenance.

3. Loose or unstable stairs and stair rails.

4. Rot: Humidity, moisture, and varying weather extremes could cause the wood of a deck to rot more quickly than you might think. Probe areas with something sharp like a screwdriver. If the metal sinks quickly and easily into the wood, then it’s likely rotten and in need of replacement. Our deck collapse injury lawyers note that many of the newer types of treated wood resist rot more readily than older types, but sometimes cause hardware to corrode more quickly. Check what type of treated wood is best for your climate and environment.

5. Cracked or split wood: Especially at the hardware connections, wood might show a tendency to split. What looks like a tiny crack could severely weaken the whole structural member. Replace cracked or split wood before it gives way.

6. Corrosion in the hardware connectors.

7. Loosening of the ledger board that connects the deck to the main structure: Most often, when a deck falls away from the main structure, our deck collapse injury lawyers know that it’s because the connection at the ledger board has separated and given way. Inadequate or absent flashing that allows moisture to creep in and cause rot; or use of nails rather than bolts as connectors could lead to sudden separation of the ledger board and deck from the house.

Learn more about Deck Safety and What to do if a Deck Collapses: Download our FREE Book

Our FREE in-depth guide to deck safety could help you learn how to safely maintain your deck and avoid sudden deck collapses. But if a deck collapse occurs and you or your loved ones are injured, don’t hesitate to contact our veteran deck collapse injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC for a free, no obligation legal consultation to discuss the accident and evaluate your eligibility for fair financial compensation for your injuries.

We’re among the relative handful of attorneys with practical, successful experience with complex structural collapse injury cases. We’ve helped injured victims nationwide achieve successful outcomes to their structural collapse injury claims. We could help you too.

Cal us direct at 281-369-4363 or fill out our online contact form to schedule your free legal consultation today. Put our more than 12 years of experience to work for your family’s benefit

5 Things to Learn from the Fatal Philadelphia Building Collapse

Our U.S. building collapse injury attorneys emphasize that the fatal Philadelphia building collapse in June that took the lives of 6 innocent people and injured more than a dozen others has a lot more to teach us than just 5 things. Investigators are gathering data now and will issue extensive reports later on the deadly demolition disaster. But in the meantime, it’s essential that our U.S. building collapse injury attorneys highlight a few important points so that other such deadly demolition disasters might be averted in the future:

1. It’s not always entirely possible to assess all the inherent risks and structural weaknesses in an old building prior to the actual demolition work. Previous renovation work or damage may have altered the building and its structural supports from what’s indicated in available records. Never make assumptions.

2. It’s absolutely critical to people’s lives and safety to take all possible safety precautions on a site before doing the actual demolition work.

3. Demolitions contractors need to be experienced, properly trained and qualified, and undergo background checks prior to hire.

4. Demolition workers need to undergo random drug tests at frequent intervals. Background checks might also be highly advisable top avert deadly demolition disasters.

5. As buildings are being taken down, it’s essential to properly brace and stabilize remaining walls, structural supports, dividers, and floors to prevent possible structural collapse.

Read more about the fatal Philadelphia building collapse in the linked article by our U.S. building collapse injury attorneys. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need help after a structural collapse injury affects your family. We can be reached to schedule a FREE, no obligation initial legal consultation at 281-369-4363 or through our online request form. Let our more than 12 years of solid experience guide you to a full financial recovery after a needless injury.

Reasons why a Miami Deck might Collapse causing Serious Injuries

You might remember that a couple of weeks ago, the deck on a Miami area sports bar, Shuckers Waterfront Grill, unexpectedly collapsed as fans watching a Miami Heat game began to cheer. The sudden deck collapse at Shuckers sent about 100 people plummeting into Biscayne Bay below the deck. Our deck collapse injury attorneys know that more than 30 people were injured. 24 were hospitalized for injuries including factures. And a few were listed in critical condition.

Investigators pointed to a support beam that collapsed, leading the entire deck to fold in the middle and drop patrons and their tables, deck chairs, food, and belongings into the Bay beneath. The immediate aftermath of the deck collapse at Shuckers was chaos as the power to Shuckers Waterfront Grill also went away at the time of the collapse.

Those who were able tried to extract stricken patrons from the water amid screams and crying. Helicopters with spotlights arrived with first responders to facilitate rescue from the tangled mass of the wreckage. It was unclear whether the deck had been properly inspected or maintained since its construction, possibly more than 20years previously.

Our deck collapse injury attorneys note that wooden decks generally have a MAXIMUM useful lifespan of 20 years. And that lifespan is lessened by hot, humid, salt air seaside climates.

Some possible causes behind the deck collapse at Shuckers, or any deck collapse near a coast, include:

1. Lack of actual connection of the deck to the support beams. Sometimes deck are just resting upon or set upon support pillars.
2. Hardware connecting the deck corroded in the hot, humid climate and salt sea air.
3. Wood that had eroded, cracked, or split in the humid, salty environment.
4. Use of nails or connectors that are too weak to connect the parts of the deck rather than proper, securely anchored bolts.
5. Structural connections like bolts are too small to effectively attach the structural members;
6. Spacing of support beams and pillars too far apart to support likely deck weight loads. We reiterate that witness accounts said up to 100 people were on the deck watching the Miami Heat game at the time of the deck collapse at Shuckers.

Contact the Experienced Deck Collapse Injury Attorneys at Denena Points, PC for Help after an Injury from an Unexpected Deck Collapse

To win the financial compensation you deserve after a sudden deck collapse at Shuckers or anywhere, you need to be able to prove the causes of the collapse and that the owner or operator of the home or venue was negligent in some way, such as in failing to regularly inspect or maintain the deck. Proving bad construction, poor materials, or inadequate maintenance generally requires complex, very technical evidence. You might need qualified experts to help you who know applicable building codes, maintenance and inspection requirements, materials composition, engineering stress calculations, and proper medical treatments for injuries to testify in your case.

Our experienced deck collapse injury attorneys could help you locate qualified expert witnesses and provide the help you need to prove your claim. We’ve been helping injured victims win the just financial recoveries they deserve for more than 12 years. Call us at

281-369-4363 for a FREE, no obligation initial legal consultation to discuss your case and evaluate your potential for financial recoveries. Or just fill out our easy online contact form. Let us put our knowledge and experience to work for your benefit.

20 Firefighter Safety Recommendations about Building Collapse Dangers during a Fire

1. Fire departments should develop, implement and enforce written standard operating procedures (SOPs) for an occupational safety and health program based on NFPA 1500.

2. The Incident Commander should be clearly identified as the only person with overall authority and responsibility for management of all activities at a fire.
3. The Incident Commander should conduct an initial risk assessment of the incident scene before beginning interior fire fighting operations. The building collapse injury attorneys at Denena Points, PCemphasize that this initial assessment could be critical to saving lives and ensuring firefighter safety by determining whether fireground operations will be offensive with advance hose and interior operations or defensive.
4. Fore departments should train firefighters to effectively communicate interior conditions to the Incident Commander as soon as possible and to provide regular updates on evolving conditions and safety threats.
5. The Incident Commander must establish a stationary command post, maintain the role of director of fireground operations, and not become involved in firefighting efforts.
6. Our building collapse injury attorneys note that the Incident Commander is responsible for continually evaluate risk versus gain when determining whether a fire suppression operation should be offensive or defensive.
7. Ensure that the Incident Commander maintains close accountability for all personnel on the fireground.
8. Have a separate Incident Safety Officer, independent from the Incident Commander, appointed at each fire.
9. Have a rapid intervention team available to immediately respond to emergency rescue incidents.
10. Closely coordinate ventilation efforts to release heat and smoke with interior fire suppression operations.
11. Our building collapse injury attorneys mention that conducting pre-incident planning inspections of buildings within the fire department’s jurisdictions to facilitate development of safe strategies and tactics could have strong impacts on future firefighter safety in the event of fires.
12. Ensure that any offensive attack is conducted using adequate fire streams based on characteristics of the structure and fuel load present and that an adequate water supply is established and maintained.
13. Use exit locators such as high intensity floodlights or flashing strobe lights to guide lost or disoriented firefighters to exits.
14. Train firefighters on actions to take if they become trapped or disoriented inside a burning structure.
15. Ensure that all firefighters and line officers receive fundamental and annual refresher training under NFPA 1001 and NFPA 1021 guidelines.
16. Ensure that firefighters wear the full array of turnout clothing and personal protective equipment appropriate for their assigned tasks.
17. Train fire fighters in effective air management techniques so that they receive the maximum benefit from their self-contained breathing apparatus.
18. Use thermal imaging cameras during the initial risk assessment and search phases of a fire.
19. Develop, implement and enforce written SOPs and provide firefighters with training on the hazards of truss construction.
20. Establish systems to facilitate the reporting of unsafe conditions or code violations to the appropriate authorities.

(Information from a NIOSH Report summarized by the Everyone Goes Home program of theNational Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Our building collapse injury attorneys emphasize that the Report has many more significant firefighter safety recommendations. Click here to read more detailed recommendations from the program that could save firefighter lives.)

Firefighters and Civilians inside Burning Buildings face their Greatest Dangers from Sudden Structural Collapses and Entrapment

Since the late 1970s, when authorities began keeping detailed statistics, the rate of firefighter fatalities has been decreasing, with the exception of 2001 when almost 350 heroic firefighters died tragically in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York City.

Our building collapse injury attorneys note that as the overall number of firefighter fatalities have decreased, the rate of firefighter deaths from building collapses, particularly in residential fires, haveincreased. Click the link to read about the rise in the number of firefighter deaths from building collapses.

Find the Help You Need in Texas after a Serious Deck Collapse Injury

You may have come to this page because you or a family member has suffered injury in a serious deck collapse. Let us help. We’re among the very small percentage of deck collapse injury lawyers in the United States who have actual, hands-on experience helping injured victims recover fair financial compensation in structural collapse cases.

At Denena Points, PC, we’ve designed our website to give you the answers and information you needto make the decisions facing you as you move forward after a serious deck collapse injury. Find the detailed information you need by reading our FAQs, blogs, and library articles. Or download a FREE copy of our deck collapse injury lawyers’ helpful book on structural collapses, how to prevent them, and what to after someone has been injured in one.

Contact our Experienced Deck Collapse Injury Lawyers for a FREE, No Obligation Legal Consultation about your Injury

Call us direct at 281-369-4363 or reach us through our online contact form to speak with one of our Board Certified deck collapse injury lawyers about your injury and how we could help you following the traumatic accident. We’re happy to help and to speak with you to answer your important questions.

Who’s Responsible in this Horrific Bridal Suite Balcony Collapse?

Headlines out of the United Kingdom yesterday described a horrific scene as a bridal party plummeted 12 feet to the ground when the balcony collapsed on the bridal suite at the Casa del Lago in Brighouse in western Yorkshire. A woman planning her upcoming nuptials was wanted to see if the bridal suite would be suitable for her plans. The bride-to-be and three of her friends had been escorted onto the balcony by the proud hotel owner who wanted to show them the newly refurbished balcony on the bridal suite.

When they stepped out on to the balcony, it collapsed, sending them 12 feet to the ground. The hotel owner suffered severe head injuries in the fall and received air transport to a hospital. The four women also sustained serious injuries and received ground transport to the hospital.

Who would be responsible for such a serious balcony collapse accident and the ensuing injuries?

Our balcony collapse attorneys mention that generally the hotel and its owner could be held liable in such a case. In the particular incident described in this article, you might have noticed that the balcony had been newly refurbished. While an accident investigation will be necessary to determine the precise causes of this particular balcony collapse, the sudden collapse so soon after refurbishment would seem to indicate shoddy workmanship and negligence on the part of those who did the refurbishing work. If so, then those who did the negligent work that led to the balcony collapse and resulting injuries would also be financially responsible for the damages they caused.

The news accounts don’t indicate how extensive the balcony renovation was or exactly what sort of work was done. Our balcony collapse attorneys point out that the use of nails in attaching a balcony to a building is one of the things that can lead to a sudden balcony collapse. Incorrect spacing of attachments and supports can also cause a collapse. And failing to attach the balcony to actual structural members of the hotel might cause a collapse.

Contact the Experienced U.S. Balcony Collapse Attorneys at Denena Points, PC if You’ve been Seriously Injured in a Balcony Fall

We’ve successfully represented injured clients from all over the United States in structural collapse injury cases. We could help you too. Call us today at 281-369-4363 or reach us through our online contact form to get your free, no obligation legal consultation. Let our skilled and knowledgeable balcony collapse attorneys help you win a full financial recovery after your needless and painful balcony collapse accident.

Building a Strong Deck for Your PA Home requires BOLTS not Nails

Weak connections between decks, porches, and balconies and the house to which they’re attached is probably the primary cause of collapses of these structures in the United States. Just a couple days ago, a deck that was being put onto some apartments in Lawrenceville, PA suddenly collapsed sending two workers plummeting three stories to the ground. They remain hospitalized with serious injuries. Our deck collapse lawyers note that the inspectors found that the deck was nailed to the main building, not bolted.

Nails will not adequately secure a Deck to a Building; You must use Bolts

Our deck collapse lawyers emphasize that nails cannot properly anchor a structure like a deck or a balcony to the residential building to which it’s attached. Nails will shear off and pull out when weight is applied to the structure they’re holding up. Then the deck will collapse with its occupants to the ground, sometimes with serious or fatal injuries.

But bolting a deck on won’t always keep a deck or balcony from collapsing either. A solid deck requires a ledger board between the deck and main building to help diffuse the structural stress and distribute the weight put on the structure. The ledger board and connections to the main residential building need to be protected with “flashing” to keep water from leaking in and rotting the structure and corroding the hardware connections.

You need to make the connection at a proper bad joist. If you don’t anchor the outdoor deck into a main structural member, but just send a bolt into random drywall, that deck is going to fall off the building at the first opportunity anyway.

Exterior Post Supports could help Safely Anchor Your Deck

As additional insurance against deck collapse, you should add exterior posts attached to the main building to support the deck. That way, the deck and deck ledger would have additional support upon which to exert any downward stress which could help prevent it from shearing out nails or bolts instead.

But our deck collapse lawyers understand that property owners don’t necessarily think about engineering or stress issues when they put up a deck. They think about aesthetics and recreation. And building codes, which may specify that a deck need to support a 40 psf live load and 50 psf with the dead load of the structure itself won’t tell you how to accomplish this. So you get profit conscious buildings blithely putting up apartment decks with NAILS rather than lag bolts.

Continue to Part 2 to learn what happens after shoddy construction and what to do if you or a loved one get injured in a disastrous deck collapse.

NAILS are WEAK Deck Connectors; Use BOLTS to avoid a PA Deck Collapse

Shoddy Construction might lead Your Deck to Collapse even before It’s Completed

Continued from PART 1. Building codes don’t tell you about lateral loads or how to make secure connections between a deck and the residential structure to which it’s attached. And many decks never even receive inspections after they’re built. Inspectors might not even know precisely what to look for in inspecting these types of outdoor structures.

Not every structural collapse occurs because the platform structure is old, decrepit, and weakened by time. As the deck collapse in Lawrenceville, PA shows, some poorly built structures never even make it through the construction phase. And other structural collapses occur mere days or weeks after the deck is completed.

The resulting injuries can be catastrophic, cause permanent disabilities, or even be fatal. Victims are left to seek recourse through civil compensation claims. Our experienced deck collapse lawyers could help you win just financial compensation for your severe injuries from a deck, porch, or balcony collapse.

Contact the Experienced Deck Collapse Lawyers at Denena Points, PC for a Free Legal Consultation if You’ve been Injured

If you’ve suffered injuries from a structural collapse caused by negligent construction, maintenance, or inspection, contact us for a free, no obligation legal consultation about your accident. We could help you understand your legal options, any obstacles you might face, and your potential eligibility for a full financial recovery. We’ve successfully represented injured victims of structural collapse from all over the nation; we could help you too. Call us today at 281-369-4363 or use our online contact form to reach us. We’re here to help.