Jennifer Rosoff, a sales director at Manhattan’s online advertising firm, TripleLift, died early on Thursday morning after a fall from her 17th-story apartment balcony at 400 East 57th Street in New York City. The 35-year-old ad executive had been out on a first date. She and her date had been out on the balcony of the Stonehenge 57 building for a smoke just before 1 a.m. Our balcony railing collapse attorneys understand that Ms. Rosoff either leaned or sat on the balcony railing, and it gave way underneath her.
Ms. Rosoff’s date said he had heard a couple of pops or cracks before the metal balcony railing bent and sent Jennifer Rosoff plummeting backwards approximately 140 feet. She landed on construction scaffolding below and was pronounced dead at the tragic scene of the balcony fall.
The cause of the balcony railing failure is under investigation. Police indicated they do not suspect foul play. And reports said that Ms. Rosoff’s date was quite distraught after the tragedy. The NYC Department of Buildings has ordered the building’s other balconies vacated until inspections are made. (Source: Sheila Anne Feeney, New York Newsday AM New York, 8/1/13)
The balcony railing collapse attorneys at Denena Points, PC express their deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of Jennifer Rosoff.
Two Case Examples Where We Held Property Owners Liable for Negligently Maintained Balcony Railings and a Balcony that Resulted in Severe Injuries
Our balcony railing collapse attorneys emphasize that exterior balconies and their safety railings often show the effects of wear or neglect before other areas of a building. And sudden structural failures in the balcony or balcony railing can lead to grievous harm. In one instance, 4 men were standing near the railing of a 3rd-story apartment balcony when the railing gave way, sending them plummeting 30 feet to the concrete below. All 4 suffered serious injuries in the fall.
The property owner and manager had not properly inspected or maintained the balcony and its railing. Despite visible signs that water was seeping into the wooden framing of the balcony through cracks in the concrete, no inspection was made. And after the balcony railing collapse and injuries, corporate management in Chicago ordered that evidence, in the form of the rotten wood that led to the collapse, be disposed of.
In another case, a woman was entering her 2nd-floor apartment when the concrete balcony she was standing on collapsed, sending her toppling 18 feet to the concrete below. The woman incurred several severe and permanent injuries in the balcony collapse fall, including spinal damage. Some other repairs had been made to the balcony previously, but the cracks in the concrete of the structure had never been addressed. Indeed, the balcony was found to have been poorly constructed, poorly repaired, and not maintained.
In both instances, the able balcony railing collapse attorneys at Denena Points, PC were able to obtain solid evidence and qualified expert witness testimony, and to build strong and convincing cases against the property owners and managers to obtain fair financial recoveries for the injured plaintiffs.
Click the links above to read about these two balcony collapse cases. And contact us if you need answers and skilled legal help after a serious balcony fall accident. We always provide afree initial legal consultation, without obligation, to discuss the accident and evaluate your legal options and potential for obtaining a just recovery after the accident. Call us at 281-369-4363 or fill out our online contact form to schedule your free legal consultation. Our balcony railing collapse attorneys have helped structural collapse victims and their families all over the country; let our experience help you find justice.
Continue to Part 2 to learn about balcony inspection requirements.
Read More About NYC Ad Exec on 1st Date Falls 17 Floors in Tragic Balcony Rail Collapse…