What are Joists and Trusses and Rafters?

• A joist is a horizontal support beam that extends from wall to wall. It might also extend from a wall to a support beam or between two beams. A ceiling joist serves as a supporting element for a ceiling. A floor joist supports a floor.

• A rafter is a sloped structural support in a roof that extends from the ridge line down to the perimeter or eaves. A rafter serves to support the roof and its load.
• A truss is a stress bearing support member consisting of triangular units connected by straight, linear units. The construction industry uses trusses for framing roofs and for bridges. Roof trusses support and stabilize a roof structure, and take the stress of the roof load away from the connecting walls. Ceiling joists and rafters together can form triangular roof trusses. But contractors can also order custom-built roof trusses that are made offsite and delivered ready to use.

All of these variations in the roof framing components have a common purpose.

• They support the roof and any load the roof itself might bear (such as snow).
• By intersecting angles, particularly in the triangular formation, they distribute the stress load, rather than sending it all straight out to the walls of the structure, which would tend to force the walls outward and away, ending in a structural collapse.

On occasions where the roof framing arrangement does not work properly, ceiling joists might give way, and trusses might collapse, as happened with the Mt. Blue High School gym roof collapse in Maine. Falling walls, beams, and other supporting members of a structure could cause catastrophic injuries and trap victims beneath the weight of fallen structural supports. Building fires weaken connecting supports in a building. One of the greatest dangers in a building during or after a fire is the danger of collapsing structural pieces.

If you’ve been injured because of a structural collapse, call us. We specialize in helping injured structural collapse victims and the bereaved family members of those wrongly killed by structural collapses. Tony Denena and Chad Points are Board Certified, Texas personal injury attorneys with a strong background in structural collapse cases. We could help you recover financial compensation for your losses from the structural collapse accident. We could provide the dedicated legal knowledge and skill you need to win recompense for the following.

• Medical expenses.
• Costs of ongoing medical care.
• Pain and suffering.
• Mental and emotional distress from the accident.
• Lost wages.
• Reduced earnings capacity because of disability.
• Disfigurement.

If you’ve lost a loved one to a structural collapse, we could help you recover.

• Funeral expenses.
• Medical expenses incurred from the accident before death.
• Loss of financial support provided by the decedent.
• Loss of companionship and the unique value of the family relationship.
• Mental anguish and emotional distress.

Your initial case evaluation consultation is free. In your consultation, our Board Certified, Texas personal injury attorneys could help you understand your most advantageous legal options and prospects for successful financial recovery. We’ve helped many other clients recover financially in their time of need. We could help you too. So call today.