Tuesday night, 6 members of the Bates family and friends from Newnan, Georgia were relaxing on a 2nd-floor balcony of their rented condominium in Panama City Beach when it collapsed under them without warning. Our balcony collapse injury attorneys note that their rented condo was part of the Largo Mar Condominium complex on Thomas Drive. An official with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said it appeared that the balcony had separated from the main building and then given way underneath the family.

Members of the Bates family received serious injuries in the sudden Panama City Beach balcony collapse. The father suffered 4 broken ribs when he landed on the rail of the structure. The mother received a broken knee/leg injury. And one person received a serious foot injury.

Two young boys were separated from the rest of the Bates family when they fell through the collapsed balcony and became disoriented. They ended up on the beach, where a Good Samaritan found them and brought them back to the Largo Mar Condominium to the rest of the Bates family. Rescuers had to extract the parents from the wreckage of the collapse. They received transport to the hospital for their serious injuries from the Panama City Beach balcony collapse.

(Sources: Bay County Sheriff’s Office incident report (5/28); Cameron Taylor, wjhg.com (5/29); Andrew P Johnson, The News Herald (5/29); and Corey Dobridnia, WMBB News 13 (5/29/13))

The balcony collapse injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC wish the injured victims of the Panama City Beach balcony collapse rapid and complete recoveries from their wounds. We are glad to hear that no life-threatening injuries resulted from the 2nd-story collapse.

Contact the Experienced Balcony Collapse Injury Attorneys at Denena Points, PC when You need Help holding Negligent Property Managers accountable for Your Needless Injuries

We’re among a select few attorneys in the nation with actual, hands-on experience helping victims of balcony collapses successfully achieve full financial recoveries for their needless injuries. Our experience spans more than 16 years. With our knowledge and experience in such cases, we have helped victims all over the nation with their structural and balcony collapse cases.

Our balcony collapse injury attorneys, Chad Points and Tony Denena, provide a free and confidential initial legal consultation to discuss the specifics of your accident and help you evaluate your potential eligibility for a full financial recovery. You have no obligation to hire an attorney. When you do hire us, there is no financial risk to you because we will not charge you attorneys’ fees unless we win your case for you. Let us help you recover. Call us direct at 281-369-4363 or fill out our online contact form to receive your free legal consultation.

Causes of Balcony Separation from a Main Building and Sudden Collapse

Our balcony collapse injury attorneys emphasize that investigators and inspectors will need to determine the actual, primary causes of the Largo Mar Condominium balcony collapse. The Bates family could benefit from having their own balcony collapse injury attorney investigate the accident as well. In general, when a balcony or deck shears off of its main structure and collapses, several causes could be to blame:

1. Poor construction: Using nails rather than bolts to connect the balcony or deck is asking for a dangerous collapse accident. Inadequate spacing of joists and supporting members is also a recipe for collapse. Deck and balcony collapses often lead to very serious injuries, permanent disabilities, and even fatalities.

2. Age and rot: The heat, humidity and high salt content of southern seaside locations generally ages and splits wood and corrodes connecting hardware faster than in dryer, more temperate, and inland areas.

3. Poor protection from water leakage: Balconies and decks should be secured to a main structure using a ledger board and adequate flashing to protect the structures from water seepage, moisture buildup, and rot. Our balcony collapse injury attorneys point out that moisture will quickly weaken and rot structural members and corrode hardware, leading to loosening of connecting hardware and separation of the heavy balcony or deck from the main building.

4. Poor maintenance: Outdoor connected structures like balconies and decks need to be inspected thoroughly at least once a year, especially in salty, humid, and warm climates, for signs of weakening, age, corrosion, and split, cracked or rotten wood or masonry.

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