You may be following the complicated set of hearings, inquiries, claims, theories, and admonitions attending on the deadly collapse of a demolition project through the roof of a Salvation Army thrift store in Philadelphia several months ago. Our structural collapse injury lawyers mention that the deadly Philadelphia incident has garnered more public attention than any other unexpected collapse relating to demolition work over the past months. But it’s actually only one of many partial or total building collapses that has occurred in that timeframe while buildings were being demolished.
The structural collapse injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC emphasize that such collapses often injure, trap, or kill the workers employed on the demolition. The Salvation Army store collapse is particularly tragic because the 6 people it killed and the 13 people it injured were not workers, but shoppers and employees in an adjacent building who were unaware of the danger.
Demolition work is inherently dangerous. It is often unpredictable how and when buildings will come down. Undocumented and inexpert renovations and repairs over the years could have weakened a building’s structure and made some parts more unstable than others. Rot in structural elements like joints and trusses may have led to dangerous weaknesses. Connections between structural members might have loosened, corroded, or disappeared altogether. So our structural collapse injury lawyers emphasize that it’s vital to have clear and adequate safety procedures, and to properly train workers for demolition jobs.
As an example, this weekend a demolition worker operating a crane escaped unharmed after a 6-story building suddenly collapsed onto his crane. The man walked away after a building collapsed and buried his crane in bricks and debris in Dayton, Ohio, where he was helping to tear down the old Dayton Daily News building downtown.
That the worker walked away from the 6-story building collapse unscathed may be attributed to following the safety procedures that say that an equipment operator should stay inside his equipment cage when faced with a sudden collapse, and wait for the dust to clear before attempting to exit.
Also this week, our structural collapse injury lawyers report that a worker escaped a building collapse with only minor injuries in Denver, Colorado. The man was working to help demolish a wall on the 2ndfloor in the old Byers Junior High School when a wall collapsed. Denver fire crews used electric saws to cut the man from the debris that had buried him as he was working to renovate the old school so that it might host a new charter school.
Two common mistakes in both demolition and construction work lead to many of the unexpected structural collapses that occur:
Learn More about the Causes of Structural Collapses and What to do if You or a Loved One are Injured
Download our FREE report. And if you have questions about your specific injury accident, don’t hesitate to contact the experienced structural collapse injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC for a free and confidential initial legal consultation. We never charge you attorneys’ fees unless we win your case, and you’re not obligated to hire an attorney. Your initial consultation is entirely free and without obligation. Take advantage of our more than 12 years of successful experience with complex injury accidents. Call us at 713-807-9500 or fill out our online contact form to schedule your FREE legal consultation.