Documents and information obtained by the Associated Press and widely covered in recent news reveal that Summit Structures LLC, builder of the collapsed Dallas Cowboys training center, knew in advance of the weakness of the facility and the dangers of collapse. The structural collapse injury attorneys at Denena & Points mention that Summit Structures was a subsidiary of the Canadian company Cover-All Building Systems. Cover-All declared bankruptcy in 2010, likely as a result of the huge liability costs stemming from the 2009 collapse of the Dallas Cowboys training facility.
The Cowboys were holding a rookie training session at the time that the tent-like facility collapsed. 12 people were injured in the collapse. The injuries included a broken neck in special teams coach Joe DeCamillis and a severed spinal cord in Cowboys scout Rich Behm that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Together the pair received about $34 million in compensation from Cover-All and from entities affiliated with Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones. Our structural collapse injury attorneys emphasize that it goes without saying that no amount of money can ever replace lost mobility, especially in two victims so heavily involved in professional sports.
The Cowboys organization began questioning the structural integrity of the training facility in 2007 shortly after it was built in 2003. The Cowboys wanted their engineering expert informed of measures being taken to correct the structural problems.
Notes from Summit’s legal counsel, which the counsel attributes to comments by Jeff Galland, engineering director for 52 Engineers, a company Summit employed on tits projects, stated that parts of the Dallas facility’s frame were “to slender and long” and “prone to buckling.” The notes also stated that calculations in this regard would be hidden in the analysis given to the Cowboys.
Another statement of Galland’s that the counsel forwarded specifically stated that portions of the facility’s frame were “overstressed.” Our structural collapse injury attorneys point out that even if an overstressed structure can stand for a time under ordinary circumstances, any additional force like storm winds or earth tremors will bring that structure crashing down on top of whomever is inside. And indeed that is what happened. Texas storm winds, not noted for a subtle touch, tore the structure apart quickly.
To our structural collapse injury attorneys, those statements seem tantamount to saying that they knew lives were at risk and they decided to risk them, putting profits ahead of safety. Given the hideous financial that could result (and did in fact result) from a collapse of the Dallas Cowboys training facility, one might think that Summit would chart a more careful course in the structurally troubled waters.
The Associated Press report on this incident and the damning information it found in the obtained documents points out that Jeff Galland, though titled Engineering Director at 52 Engineers, possessed no college degree and had served time in prison on drug and weapons violations.
Generally we’re not ones to hold past mistakes against a person. But those are not the credentials our structural collapse injury attorneys would look for in an engineering director or consultant.
We also note that Summit and Cover-All later announced a design flaw that could lead to collapse in windy and snowy conditions of about 35,000 of its smaller buildings. And the company was apparently known more for structures like barns, equestrian facilities, and warehouse storage buildings than large, high profile sports complexes.
So we wonder why Summit and Cover-All were even hired to build the Dallas Cowboys training facility. And why someone like Jeff Galland was consulted as the engineering authority regarding the facility’s problems with structural integrity. We must credit him with accurate assessments of the facility’s lack of structural integrity, even if he presented no viable solutions to them and Summit endeavored to hide his findings in any case.
The behavior of Summit prior to the collapse in disguising information that could have warned the Cowboys of the impending collapse of the facility seems outrageous. The clear disregard for others’ safety and danger indicated in the documents found by the Associated Press is appalling.
Substandard contractors, roofers, and others bilk ordinary homeowners every day. That someone with the financial clout of Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys organization should suffer the same fate is not the least bit reassuring. The saga of the doomed Dallas Cowboys training facility shows that any structure might have hidden defects and structural weaknesses that visitors and occupants might not know about until it’s too late.
Learn more about the training facility collapse in the linked article by our structural collapse injury attorneys.
Deck collapse injury lawyers note that a 12-foot high wooden deck in midtown Kingston, NY collapsed on Friday night. The deck was identified as being between 6 and 8 years old.
Initials reports indicated that up to 8 people had been injured in the collapse. Only one person, a woman who was a tenant in a 2nd floor unit in the building, had to be hospitalized for injuries. The other victims of the sudden collapse were her neighbors.
Another deck stood below the collapsed deck and may have helped to break the victims’ fall and minimize their injuries. No one was on the 1st floor deck when the 12-foot high deck collapsed.
Reports indicated that the 2nd floor deck mostly detached from the house but did not completely fall. The house, between Prospect St. and Broadway in midtown Kingston, NY, was listed as belonging to a John O’Rourke. O’Rourke’s father apparently lives on the 1st floor of the house. News accounts indicated that rotten wood in the upper deck might have been the cause of the dangerous deck collapse accident. But the house itself remained undamaged by the incident.
Our deck collapse injury lawyers reiterate that the deck that collapsed was less than 10 years old, perhaps even as young as 6 years old. For deck safety, many recommend that decks be replaced at least every 20 years. But weather conditions, nearness to the sea and ever present humidity, and other variables can increase the rate at which the wood in your deck ages or rots.
As this injury accident in Kingston indicates, you can’t rely on estimates regarding the age of your deck for safety. Thorough yearly inspections are a key element to your safety and the safety of your guests on your deck.
Learn about some key elements for maintaining deck and balcony safety in our deck collapse injury lawyers’ report on the subject. The report is available free to our readers for download from this web page.
Our structural collapse injury attorneys point out that over the past couple of decades, some controversy has been simmering over the dangers posed by modern light construction methods when a fire breaks out. Until fairly recently in time, all construction relied on heavy materials like solid masonry, brick, timber, metal, and concrete. In a fire, the heavy nature of these materials would retard the spread of flames, allowing building occupants more time to flee and firefighters more time to control and contain the blaze.
In recent decades, builders have eschewed the old, reliable heavy materials in favor of lighter and cheaper materials like drywall, stucco, brick, veneer, and wood framing rather than the more solid forms of the past.
A recent 5-alarm fire on Wednesday in the Lindell apartment building in St. Louis has again highlighted the terms of the debate over modern construction methods. Less than an hour after responding to the apartment fire, which appears to have started above a top floor unit, firefighters had to quickly evacuate the building because the top floor was already giving way to collapse. Our structural collapse injury attorneys mention that the firefighters expressed concern at the overly rapid spread of the fire and felt that it was moving too quickly to engulf the attic.
The fire chief’s initial reaction was that there were no fire walls or other barriers in the attic to retard the spread of the flames and that the use of lightweight, inexpensive construction materials had helped exacerbate the blaze. But it turns out that the new Lindell residential complex was in fact built to code.
But the lightweight “draft stops” permitted by code in the attic proved ineffective in containing the spread of the fire. And between the draft stops stood numerous wooden joists, plywood, and other combustible materials that actually fed the blaze.
The St. Louis municipal code follows national building code standards. And those standards provide for lightweight draft stops and inexpensive construction materials in lieu of the more traditional firewalls, so long as the building is provided with sprinklers and electronic smoke and fire detection devices that are also up to code.
In the old days, our structural collapse injury attorneys emphasize that the slower spread of a fire due to the interference provided by solid construction materials might provide building occupants with 15 to 17 minutes in which to react and escape the building. Now, an electronic warning goes off, sometimes followed by sprinkler, but occupants and residents have to react very fast to that warning.
Occupants might only have about 3 to seven minutes in which to escape the building before deadly fire-related structural collapses begin to occur. That super quick reaction and escape window can be a challenge if, for instance, you’re a resident of the 6th floor that was asleep when the alarm went off.
Fire chiefs and fire marshals across the nation remain concerned about the reduced window that people have to escape and effectively battle a fire. The concern is not just for building occupants, but also for the firefighters who must risk their lives inside the flimsy structures trying to contain a blaze. Fire-related structural collapse remains the top cause of death among firefighters on the job.
Learn more about the danger of structural collapse and deadly entrapments from rapidly spreading fires in this article by our concerned structural collapse injury attorneys.
Misunderstanding or frankly, ignorance, are so often the foundation of opinions that then become facts in the eyes of many. This phenomenon is very accurate when it comes to the reporting of, and sometimes the investigation of balcony collapses. If you are injured as a result of the July 15, 2012 balcony collapse in southeast Austin don’t believe all of the folks saying it is your fault. Call our law firm at 877-337-9500 and let us figure out if we can help you with your medical bills and lost wages. We want to stop the shoddy construction practices and lack of proper inspections that lead to balcony collapses and injuries. By taking your case we continue the battle in the larger war to make balconies safer.
The Austin American-Statesman states, “About 30 people were thrown screaming to the ground hours before dawn after the collapse of the second floor balcony.” According to the newspaper, a “preliminary investigation” indicates 30 people were on the 400 square foot patio at the time of the collapse, “exceeding the structure’s weight limit.” The paper cites unnamed officials for this opinion.
Clearly the balcony collapsed and thus the structural limits were exceeded; however, had it been constructed properly this size structure would have withstood this load.
In our cases, city officials and of course the defense lawyers always blame the tenant and guests for overloading the strucutre. The truth is – almost always the structure is to blame. Horrible construction practices, Unpermitted construction, lack of proper inspections, and a general misunderstanding of balcony construction all lead to tragedies like this.
Download our report on balcony collapses, read the information on this site and give us a call. You will speak with one of our Board Certified Trial Attorneys. We will answer all your questions. We will give you the information you need to decide what is best for you going forward.
Knowledgeable building collapse attorneys note that the world’s historic structures were built under older building codes. Some were built with no codes or permits at all. But many of these old structures were built to last in a way that modern structures won’t.
But because of different building standards in different eras, even the most solid-appearing structure can experience devastating damage and cause serious injuries or multiple fatalities. The major earthquake in New Zealand caused huge swaths of major structural damage. The spires of stone churches toppled and cracked. Massive historic brick chimneys cascaded across or through roofs in heavy showers of bricks.
Expert care will be required to restore these collapsed buildings to their previous beauty. Experts take care to preserve what original materials they can in a restoration. They also work with specialized structural engineers to try to restore historic structures with strengthened structural integrity and higher safety standards.
But our building collapse attorneys know from the experiences of our injured clients that even brick veneer homes that might be only 50 years old can have critical weaknesses from settled foundations, rotting frames, corroded connectors and other issues that could lead to partial structural collapses and resulting injury or death. Decks and balconies that may only be 20 to 25 years old might be nearing the end of their safe, useful lifespan.
Recent years have seen a rash of deadly porch, deck, and balcony collapses from such older structures. Even structures only 20 to 25 years old were constructed under older building codes that don’t account for safety knowledge acquired in the intervening years. Our building collapse attorneys get calls on cases involving structural collapses in poorly-constructed brand new buildings too.
Expert inspection, repair, and upgrades of your aging buildings and building components could add years of life to the structures. Don’t wait for a disaster to provide a wake-up call regarding weaknesses in the structures you live and work in every day. Our experienced building collapse attorneys will tell you that a little proactive care now could prevent a long and expensive repair process later, as well as costly liabilities from injuries or fatalities.
If you rent, and you’ve been injured in a deck or balcony collapse or a complete building collapse caused by landlord negligence, you might be eligible to recover the full cost of your injuries, pain, and losses from that landlord.
Many landlords fail to maintain the properties they rent in a safe condition. They don’t make repairs, and they don’t respond to tenants concerns or complaints. Some landlords use substandard materials and unqualified contractors when building or making repairs. You might have an unsafe deck in your yard and not know it until it collapses.
Safety hazards and sudden structural collapses could result from this landlord negligence. Full building collapses or even the localized balcony collapses caused by landlord negligence can take a substantial toll in lives and injuries.
You have rights as a Texas renter. And you’re not without recourse if landlord negligence injures you. Contact the experienced balcony collapse attorneys at Denena & Points for a free legal consultation. Our balcony collapse attorneys could help you understand your legal rights to compensation for your injuries and how to obtain it.
We’ll stand up for your rights, protect your interests against an underhanded landlord, and do all we can to ensure that you have your opportunity to obtain the full compensation that’s due to you. Call today.
Balcony collapse injury attorneys present this safety tip: check your decks, porches, and balconies after storms and floods for rot, corrosion and rot and corrosion dangers from collected moisture. And if you live on a waterfront property at the Gulf Coast or in some other area where there’s a lot of ambient moisture, inspect your outdoor structures on a regular basis for structural integrity and potential moisture damage.
It doesn’t take long for a deck, porch, or balcony weakened by water damage to collapse on you. The damage and substrate rotting might not be immediately evident; you need to make a careful inspection.
Our balcony collapse injury attorneys understand that you would like to rest assured that the structures attached to your home are always safe. But a lack of inspection during and after construction of the balcony or deck might have failed to catch hazards like the use of substandard or unsuitable materials, weak connections, lack of flashing on a ledger to prevent rot, and careless building practices that could allow moisture to collect and rot to occur.
Danger is always present after a major storm or flood has generated the excessive water and wind that could hasten the demise of a deck, balcony, or porch. A porch, deck, or balcony collapse could cause severe injuries, permanent disabilities, or fatalities. The potential legal liability if this happens at your home is enormous. A little preventative inspection and maintenance could save you a lot of later grief.
If you do suffer injury, or lose a loved one to a porch, deck, or balcony collapse, contact our balcony collapse injury attorneys for help. We have the answers and experience to help you obtain just financial compensation for your undeserved injuries, and to become economically whole again after a disastrous structural collapse. Call today for your free consultation with one of our dedicated balcony collapse injury attorneys.
Structural collapse attorneys note a satisfying conclusion to the story of a sudden, deadly collapse of an entire apartment block in Shanghai. A court in Shanghai, China convicted Que Jingde and Zhang Zhiqin for their roles in causing the collapse of a 13-story, newly completed apartment tower that fell on its side almost intact in June 2009.
Que and Zhang were the two largest shareholders in the Shanghai Meidu Real Estate firm involved in building the tower. Investigations regarding the apartment tower collapse found that the foundation of the structure suffered critical weaknesses because of the piling of excavated soil on one side and the digging of an underground parking garage by an unqualified contractor.
China Daily, a state-run media outlet, reported that the court convicted Que on one charge of graft and Zhang on multiple counts of:
The court sentenced Que Jingde and Zhang Zhiqin to life in prison and confiscated their personal assets. According to reports, Que possessed personal assets worth about $300,000 and Zhang possessed personal assets worth almost $750,000.
Our structural collapse attorneys wonder if the court’s strong sentence will send a message to the other builders throughout China engaged in constructing edifices and infrastructure at a record pace. Many worry that Chinese builders are ignoring sound building practices and safety standards, as well as using poor materials and unqualified contractors, in a rush to get things done. Such haste can only lead to further fatalities and debilitating injuries when the weak constructions fail.
Our structural collapse attorneys point out that any gains Que and Zhang might have reaped from their negligence relating to the apartment tower construction were short-lived. But they will pay for that negligence for the rest of their lives. Both of these men now have a lifetime to ruminate over the costs of hasty and shoddy construction.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Modern China shouldn’t be either.
Our Balcony Collapse Lawyers Want You to Know these Basic Safety Tips to Keep in Mind Before You Use Your Balcony, Porch, or Deck
Deck, porch, and balcony collapses can result in multiple, serious, permanent injuries and in fatal injuries. News reports seen by our balcony collapse lawyers often contain accounts of mass casualties from a deck, porch, or balcony collapse that occurred during a large gathering. Birthday parties and holiday bar-be-ques seem to suffer the worst of these accidents.
But there are some basic safety tips you could use to help keep your outdoor gatherings on these structures free from injury. Our balcony collapse lawyers pass along the following safety tips based in part upon those issued by the City of Boston to guide Boston area residents in the wake of some fatal deck and porch collapses in the Boston metro area.
The structural collapse lawyers at Denena & Points remark that the façade of the venerable TD Bank building on Haddon Avenue in Collingswood, NJ collapsed in a rush of sound and rubble around 4 a.m. last Wednesday morning. The bank building had fallen into disuse some time ago and was being offered on the local real estate market.
While some interest had been expressed in the building from time to time, no contracts or serious offers were yet in place at the time of the sudden structural collapse. The TD Bank building has since been retracted from the market and the leasing agent says that it will remain unavailable until work has been completed to ensure the building is safe.
Later into Wednesday morning, bits and pieces of the façade were reportedly still falling away from the edifice. The building had been cordoned off after the collapse for safety, but it took some time for responders to assess the situation and assemble teams to begin deconstructing the building the hard way: section by section with cement saws and hammers. Workers in the foyer have piled parts of the venerable façade judged worth saving for the building’s reconstruction as work proceeds.
Our structural collapse lawyers point out that speculation as to the cause of the structural collapse remains just that: spec. Building and code enforcement authorities appear to be refusing to comment on the accident or to release records regarding the building’s inspection history. Some people attribute the façade’s weakened state and sudden collapse to damage from last year’s eastern Seaboard earthquake. Others cite the possibility of water intrusion.
But poor initial construction, weakened materials, and compromised connections between the TD Bank façade and the primary structure could also have caused the dangerous façade failure. Indeed, our structural collapse lawyers stress the point that weak or inadequate connectors are the primary cause of structural failures in buildings both old and new. Decks, balconies, railings, walls, higher floors, and entire buildings fall from rotten, rusted, loosened, poorly made, inadequate spaced, and just plain weak structural connectors.
One local business owner expressed his profound relief that the collapse occurred in the wee hours of Wednesday morning when no one was around to be injured by the sudden descent of the mountain of building rubble. He pointed out that had the accident occurred just a few days later, on Saturday, the structural collapse might not only have injured, but killed, quite a number of innocent victims.
The town’s well-attended May Fair was scheduled for the following Saturday and would have included the very street and sidewalk where the rubble fell so precipitously. Our structural collapse lawyers also find relief in the fortuity of this timing. Because tragedy was averted by the off-hours timing of the façade collapse, we can examine the incident as an interesting study in structural failure rather than as a depressing tragedy.
Read about another sudden collapse of a venerable, old building in our article on the fatal NYC warehouse collapse in Harlem.