The crane collapse injury attorneys at Denena & Points understand that a NYC crane inspector has lost his job and is facing the possibility of a lengthy prison term after a crane that he did not inspect collapsed and killed 7 people in 2008. The crane’s sudden collapse in 2008 left a swath of destruction across an entire block of midtown Manhattan.
Crane inspector Edward Marquette’s work log said that he had inspected the collapsed crane a few days before it collapsed. But cell phone tower records and other evidence indicate that Marquette was at home when he said he was out inspecting that crane. Indeed, records seem to reveal a pattern of falsifying work logs while the former inspector was actually safely at home.
Michael Carbone, Edward Marquette’s supervisor, has also lost his job with the NYC Department of Buildings since the fatal collapse. Just two months after the fatal crane collapse at 51st St. that killed 7 people in midtown, another crane snapped apart and collapsed in NYC, killing two people.
Investigations of the collapsed 51st St. crane showed that failed parts had been removed on the day of the deadly collapse. Some reports indicate that had Edward Marquette actually inspected the crane on the day he said he did, those critical parts would still have been in place and the former inspector might not have known anything was wrong with the crane. Our crane collapse injury attorneys argue that a thorough inspection by a competent, qualified inspector might well have caught the presence of parts that were about to fail in the crane.
Complete inspections of these towering machines that can cause such widespread damage when they malfunction or collapse is critical to public safety. Neglecting the duty to inspect towering cranes is nothing short of a betrayal of the public trust placed in the inspectors, the Department of Buildings, and the City that employs them.
As the two 2008 crane collapse tragedies in NYC reveal, a crane collapse in a crowded city or at a busy construction site can easily claim multiple lives. And injuries in those who survive the dangerous collapses can leave permanent disfigurements and disabilities.
Marquette faces the possibility of up to 21 years in prison for neglect of his duties and falsifying his work logs. Learn more about the dangers presented by crane collapses in this article by our crane collapse injury attorneys.
Our building collapse attorneys have written before on the dangers of fire-related structural collapse injuries to firefighters and others. Even after a fire has gone out, the danger doesn’t go away. Compromised structural connections and support timbers weakened by heat and flame could give way at any time, trapping victims in the rubble.
On Wednesday, just a block away from the famed Yankee Stadium, an historic building belonging to the Grand Concourse Preservation Society in the Bronx, NY caught fire. The six-alarm fire in the multi-unit residential building led to a complete evacuation of the structure.
The fire initially erupted in an apartment in the back of the building on the sixth floor, and then quickly spread to other units and to the attic. The blaze throughout the attic led to a partial roof collapse. The more than 200 firefighters that responded to the spreading inferno faced difficulties fighting the blaze due to the intense heat and dangers from the partial structural collapse.
A chief from the NYFD estimated that at least one third of the building’s 180 units are no longer livable. Investigators are looking into the cause of the destructive fire. 28 firefighters and 2 civilians suffered injuries in the catastrophe. And many residents of the building, displaced by the fire, are currently receiving some aid from the Red Cross.
Learn more about the injury and fatality dangers of fire-related structural collapses in this detailed article by our experienced building collapse attorneys.
The famed Leaning Tower of Pisa started to slant before it was even finished. Workers in the late 1100s, noticing the problem of “tilt”, attempted to correct for it. The finished tower contains a slight curve as a result. The Tower has continued to move and lean over time. Tourists pose for pictures where they appear to hold up the stone Tower to prevent it from falling and causing terrible injuries and fatalities. Some building collapse lawyers regard the Leaning Tower as an accident waiting to happen and as a lesson in negligent construction.
Our building collapse lawyers note that recently, engineers undertook a multi-million dollar project to try and stabilize the tower and prevent its structural collapse. As part of their project, made following decades of stabilization studies and efforts, they extracted about 70 tons of earth from under the north side of the Leaning Tower to encourage it to right itself. Some while after the earth extraction, monitors underneath the Tower showed that it had stopped its motion completely.
The head of the project team says that their work should allow the Leaning Tower to stand for at least another 200 years. The Leaning Tower can continue to stand as a monument to poor building design and construction and an immensely popular tourist attraction.
The tower currently leans at an angle of about 3.99 degrees. The angle stood at 5.5 degrees prior to the recent restoration. The top of the Leaning Tower is currently displaced 12 feet 10 inches from where a perfectly vertical tower top would stand.
One can’t blame this building failure on hasty construction as building collapse lawyers so often can in modern times. Construction of the Leaning Tower occurred over at least 177 years in three distinct stages, with breaks for wars between contending Italian city-states. The leaning and sinking of the tower is blamed on a slim 3-meter foundation set in weak and unstable subsoil.
Our building collapse lawyers mention that over the years, there’s been some controversy regarding the actual identity of the architect of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Perhaps he would want to remain nameless, given the final product.
Balcony collapse lawyers note that 9 people attending an anniversary party at a rented house in the resort town of Omaha, NZ suffered injuries ranging from bruises to severe lacerations and possibly broken bones when the balcony suddenly collapsed underneath them. Omaha, NZ is a popular resort destination for well-to-do residents of the busy city of Auckland, NZ. Beachfront homes there sell for several million dollars.
The distance that the partygoers fell in the Omaha, NZ balcony collapse was less than a full floor. But their fall was particularly dangerous because the balcony collapsed into a sliding glass door and the injured victims landed in the broken glass. One injured victim put his arm through the glass door of the rented house as he fell and received serious injuries.
A deputy chief fire officer blamed the number of people on the balcony at the time for causing the balcony collapse. The number was between 20 and 30 partygoers.
Our balcony collapse attorneys point out that balcony collapses and deck collapses that occur at large gatherings almost invariably get blamed by first responders on the number of people standing on the structure at the time of the collapse. But nearly as often, code specifications say that the structure should have safely held a much larger number of people than were on it when it collapsed. The true causes of the balcony or deck collapse turn out to be:
That’s why you need an experienced balcony collapse lawyer to investigate your accident if you’ve been injured in a deck or balcony collapse. You’ll need the financial compensation you could obtain from the negligent parties who caused the balcony collapse in order to pay the extensive costs of your injuries from the accident.
Don’t let anyone blame you for your injuries because you happened to be standing on the unsafe balcony before it collapsed. Hire one of the knowledgeable balcony collapse lawyers at Denena & Points to investigate your case and prove your compensation claim for you. Contact us today for your free consultation. We’re here to help you recover.
1. Check documentation on the decks and their construction. Before you purchase a place, you should check to see if proper building permits and safety inspections were obtained. Since you already own a place, check for prior inspection reports. The structural collapse attorneys at Denena & Points note that many decks are constructed quickly, poorly, using unsuitable materials, and without regard to governing safety standards. Older decks, even if properly constructed, will have weathered and deteriorated over time. These structures all present real hazards of deck collapse, injury, and fatalities.
If you can’t find evidence of building permits or proper safety inspections, get a qualified inspector to check your decks. Unfortunately, not all home inspectors are sufficiently familiar with deck and balcony safety to help you. If that’s the case in your local area, you might want to check if a local university’s architecture or engineering department has any recommendation regarding qualified inspectors.
2. Our structural collapse attorneys suggest that you also check the state of the timber and metal in your deck. Check your deck for rot and for rust and corrosion of any metal components or hardware connectors. Check for cracks and splintering parallel to the wood grain. Timber or metal failure can trigger a disastrous deck collapse. Deck collapses usually occur suddenly and without warning, and bring multiple serious injuries or fatalities in their wake.
3. Check concrete in your deck or its supports for cracking or flaking. Water can penetrate concrete structures and collect inside, corroding steel and metal reinforcements. While this corrosion presents more of a danger in coastal areas in part due to salt, seasonal variations in heat and humidity can stress concrete and metal over time. An unnoticed weakness in a seemingly solid concrete support could prove dangerous if the concrete suddenly cracks or crumbles or the steel reinforcement buckles.
4. Consider the stress of potential weight loads on your decks. Cast iron and stone patio furniture, steel furniture, heavy outdoor umbrella set ups, bbq equipment, coolers, music equipment, large, and well watered potted plants can cause timber deterioration and stress. Then adding a gathering of guests can tip the scales to the critical point. Our structural collapse attorneys point out that a deck with unnoticed hazards and safety issues could suddenly give way and bring your party to an abrupt and deadly end.
After a deck collapse, you might face a horrific accident scene with multiple catastrophic injuries, even fatalities. In addition to the costs of repairing or replacing your fallen deck, you might face the legal liability of paying for your guests’ costs from the accident, possibly over the course of their lifetimes. Your own injuries from the devastating deck collapse accident might add to your burden.
If you need help after a deck collapse, you can call on our experienced structural collapse attorneys for legal guidance. We have the in-depth knowledge and skill with deck collapse cases to help you in an accident investigation. We could help you obtain financial compensation from your insurance company or from other negligent parties responsible for the causes of the deck collapse. Contact us for a free consultation.
Many homes across the United States feature balconies and decks among their amenities. Some balconies might be purely decorative ornaments, while others are load-bearing. Balconies usually form part of the original construction and gain some benefit from professional design and building.
Decks, on the other hand, often form later additions built by the homeowners themselves.Deck collapse attorneys understand that sometimes the homeowners don’t know to obtain permits for the work, and the decks never receive a proper safety inspection.
NADRA (the North American Deck and Railing Association) estimates that less than half of America’s approximately 40 million decks are built to code. Our deck collapse attorneys note that building to code represents a minimal level of safety, as building codes state the MINIMUM requirements to which one must build. Even a deck built to code might not withstand the heavy load bearing requirements of large gatherings and parties.
Some of the most common and dangerous defects you’ll find in a deck include:
As decks and balconies age, they become more prone to collapse and the danger from any defect increases. If you’ve been injured in a deck collapse or a balcony collapse, contact our experienced deck collapse attorneys at Denena & Points for a free consultation. We have a solid track record helping injured balcony and deck collapse victims successfully make just financial recoveries for their injuries. We could help you too.
A single balcony collapse, porch collapse, or deck collapse can generate a long list of repair, medical, and legal expenses for the negligent parties found responsible for the collapse and resulting injuries. Our balcony collapse lawyers know that the accident may well involve multiple causes and negligent parties that contributed to causing the collapse. Negligence could result from any or all of the following, and the overall liability under U.S. and state laws will be apportioned among the negligent parties according to their roles in the balcony collapse.
Our balcony collapse lawyers caution that your legal liabilities and penalties resulting from injuries and fatalities in a deck collapse could include:
Structural collapses are expensive to the parties held responsible for the traumatic events. Costly liabilities can easily run into the millions
If you’ve been injured in a balcony collapse, deck collapse, or porch collapse, you might be eligible for financial compensation to pay the costs of your injuries and the attendant pain and suffering. If you’ve lost a close family member to a structural collapse, you could hold the responsible parties liable through a wrongful death lawsuit. Contact the experienced balcony collapse lawyers at Denena & Points today for a free legal consultation. We could walk you through your legal options and the steps to take to obtain full compensation for the harm you’ve suffered.
Structural collapse lawyers note that firefighters receive a large proportion of their injuries and suffer a large number of fatalities from partial structural collapses that occur in burning buildings where they’re fighting fires. Fire investigators, the curious, and returning homeowners sometimes suffer the same fates when they’re inside buildings that have burned.
It probably belabors the obvious for our structural collapse lawyers to say that fire weakens structural connections and structural supports to an unpredictable degree. This is particularly true of wood and wood-framed structures. But stone and masonry can split, crack, and crumble under extreme conditions too. And not all metal supports withstand fir damage well.
Yet when curious children see a burned building on which some structural members still stand, they often boldly walk in not expecting any further damage to occur while they’re there. And returning building owners, concerned to see how much they’ve lost, often don’t immediately think of the possibility that further collapses could occur. Structural collapse lawyers know that even well trained fire investigators who’ve surveyed and tested a charred building’s remaining structural integrity before entering can’t predict with complete accuracy what will stand and what will fall.
In Copperopolis, CA, a Fire Captain forming part of a crew fighting a residential house fire at night received serious injuries from the partial structural collapse of an exterior wall. Two other firefighters received minor injuries. The Captain had 22 years of experience with Cal Fire. The partial structural collapse occurred about an hour after firefighters responded to the blaze.
If a Fire Captain with 22 years of experience can’t predict a partial structural collapse, neither can anyone else. So our structural collapse lawyers caution you to always be aware of the danger from burned and burning buildings and stay clear.
The dome of the Adirondack Sports Complex in Queensbury collapsed in February under the weight of heavy ice and snow from one of the winter’s major snowstorms. Our structural collapse attorneys note that it’s November, and workers are still digging out the complex.
Our structural collapse attorneys have spent many hours fighting insurance companies for the compensation justly due to our clients, so we understand the frustration of the owners and managers of the Adirondack Sports Complex. The owners and managers of the sports complex are still fighting with the insurance companies to obtain compensation to pay for the repairs. At the same time, customers who can’t use the complex are demanding refunds. There are more than 1,200 customers owed refunds.
The sports dome collapse ended the winter sports season at the sports complex and closed the complex for much of the spring season as well. No injuries resulted from the dome collapse, which was a blessing. We structural collapse attorneys understand that additional losses of revenue from closing the Adirondack Sport Complex for repairs added to the already substantial financial woes of complex owners and managers from the dome collapse.
And the Adirondack Sports Complex manager says that 2010, an unseasonably warm year in which business at the indoor sports complex was slow, might be what insurance companies use as a reference point for his lost revenue claim. He believes that it wouldn’t be fair to compare the potential revenues from the unusually cold and potentially busy year of 2011 to those of the unusually slow year of 2010. Insurers, for their part, are struggling under a deluge of claims from the year’s excessive winter snows, massive spring flooding, and Hurricane Irene. N o one wins.
Our structural collapse attorneys bring this story to your attention to caution you to have your buildings and structures inspected regularly. Make any necessary repairs and conduct any necessary maintenance and structural upgrades that could help keep your structure stable in the event of extra stress. The struggles at the Adirondack Sports Complex reveal that once a collapse has occurred, your ongoing battle to obtain insurance settlements, make repairs, and pay any liabilities you may have from the debacle can prove to be a costly challenge.
Building collapse lawyers note that a continuing wave of costly and deadly collapses of major Nigerian buildings, some before they’re even completed, has Nigerians outraged at builders and officials alike for their failure to observe or enforce building safety standards.
Babatunde Liade, General Secretary of the National Union of Civil Engineering, Construction, Furniture, and Wood Workers has called on the Nigerian government to establish a Specifications Board to do what builders and officials should already be doing. As a voice of organized labor, Mr. Liade asks the government to form this Board to set standards, particularly materials standards, for all construction projects.
Mr. Liade blames the rash of building collapses and road failures in Nigeria to builders’ failure to use good materials of an accepted safety standard for construction jobs. He negates the role of contractor and engineer incompetence in these structural failures and lays the blame squarely on the use of substandard materials.
Mr. Liade blames greed and corruption for the tendency of Nigerian contractors and engineers to use substandard materials in their work. He says that they want to maximize their profits at the expense of their works. Our building collapse lawyers remark that apparently these builders don’t allow hundreds of fatalities and thousands of injuries to stand in the way of their profit goals.
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Mr. Liade also accuses public officials charged with overseeing building safety with not doing their jobs. Mr. Liade contends that a Specifications Board would be able to fill the oversight role and do a proper job of overseeing safety and monitoring building firms.
It’s unclear to this writer though why the Specifications Board would be immune from the greed, corruption, and negligence that seems to plague the rest of the Nigerian building industry. Mr. Liade particularly accuses on-site engineers of failing in their duties. Yet the labor organization for which he is General Secretary includes these engineers.
Mr. Liade claims that the Specifications Board should be charged with:
All well and good if the Specifications Board can avoid the greed, corruption, and negligence that plagues the rest of the industry. Our building collapse lawyers hope that the Specifications Board doesn’t become just another entity to pay off on the way to reaping the profits from a Nigerian building contract.