Mayor Nutter of Philadelphia just announced that the city’s Licenses and Inspections (L&I) division, derided by many for lax enforcement and inadequate standards after the fatal Center City building collapse this summer, would receive a budget increase of $2 million to fund 31 additional staff members in the next fiscal year. (Jared Brey, philly.com, 3/6/14)
The building collapse injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC note that these additional funds and staffers do not begin to make up for the major decrease in both since 2008. Since that time, the city’s funding of L&I decreased by almost one third: from $30 million to $22 million. And the department also decreased by about 80 staff members during that time.
The 31 new staffers will work in L&I’s emergency services unit. And recent news stories may indicate why. There are a lot of emergencies to respond to in Philadelphia related to matters under L&I jurisdiction. The Center City building collapse that killed 6 people in a Salivation Army store was the most deadly collapse to happen in Philadelphia within the year, but it was by no means the only structural collapse, nor the only deadly one. A young man died a few weeks ago when a fire escape balcony collapsed under him in Center City. And an abandoned residential building collapsed just days ago, sending debris flying and injuring two passers by. In one day, our building collapse injury attorneys point out that two building collapses occurred in the city.
And recent news reports have said that concerned individuals’ attempts to obtain numbers on just how many buildings have collapsed in Philadelphia over recent years have been stonewalled and hampered by a poor data storage and indexing system. Just the sequence of numerous collapses that have occurred since this summer demonstrate that the numbers must be alarming and indicative of an endemic problem with L&I enforcement and inspection.
L&I is supposed to be the agency entrusted with ensuring the safety of people in Philadelphia by enforcing the building, zoning, fire, and related codes in the city. L&I is in charge of issuing permits for demolition, renovation, and new construction and for conducting safety inspections and issuing violations for unsafe structural conditions.
It’s unfortunate that governments, their agencies, and their employees can sometimes claim sovereign immunity and escape liability for the needless injuries, deaths, and losses that lax performance might cause. This convenient escape clause means government agencies could waste taxpayer monies without performing the necessary safety functions to which they’re assigned. Why should they care about your safety when they don’t have to pay for injuries and deaths that might result from overlooked unsafe conditions?
When someone’s negligence injures you or your family, hold them accountable. Contact the experienced building collapse injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC to learn how. Reach us by phone at 713-807-9500 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a free, no obligation initial legal consultation to discuss your case and assess your eligibility for a full financial recovery for your injuries.