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.