House collapse injury attorneys: On Friday, a house undergoing renovation construction collapsed in Queens on 231st Street near Merrick Boulevard. Three construction workers had to be rescued from the rubble of the two-story home by the New York City Fire Department after the home suddenly collapsed in on them. The three construction workers received rush transport to a local hospital and were listed in stable condition on Saturday.
NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) spokespeople blamed the dangerous house collapse in Queens on worker error. The DOB said that workers had removed a critical support beam in the rear wall. The sudden removal of support caused two side walls to cave in and collapse.
The house in Queens was undergoing renovation construction to remove an illegal basement apartment and to enlarge the rear of the home. The DOB said A and S Construction company did have the proper permits to do the work. Apparently, their workers were just not taking careful note of load distribution when they cut the critical support beam. The DOB has issued a stop work order on the project for now and says that it will fine A and S Construction company.
A complaint filed with the DOB on the day of the house collapse in Queens said the building was “shaking, vibrating or structural stability affected.” The home promptly collapsed to give credence to the complaint. Fortunately, the three construction workers affected by the house collapse in Queens escaped without severe or fatal injury.
The house collapse injury attorneys caution that contractors should always carefully consider their distribution loads and the supports they’ll require before beginning work. If an existing support must be removed, then secure temporary bracing and reinforcement should be installed to support the weight load distribution. As this house collapse in Queens reveals, removal of a critical support beam without providing alternative support can send workers to the hospital or even cause fatal injury.
OSHA has spent considerable effort studying the causes of structural collapses and how to prevent them and the injuries and fatalities that result from them. Read our house collapse injury attorneys’ article detailing OSHA’s “lessons learned” by clicking on this link.