Posted on Jul 05, 2012

Our deck collapse attorneys note that 4 people, including a woman three months pregnant, were on an unstable deck that suddenly collapsed at a 21st birthday party in Hamilton, New Zealand. A chair fortunately wedged between the wall and the deck, preventing the unstable deck from collapsing completely onto the 4 injured partygoers after they fell off and under the collapsed structure.

21-year old Tessa Plunkett was hospitalized in stable condition. A pregnant woman, Tania Wightman, had a sore leg from the fall, but focused her worries on the unborn child. A man on the unstable deck at the time of the Hamilton, NZ deck collapse received a broken leg, and another partygoer complained of back pain. They say their injuries could have been much worse had the wedged chair not prevented the deck from collapsing completely.

Neighbors expressed relief that two preschoolers who lived on the floor below were not playing outside that day. They said the pair of toddlers usually spent many hours playing on the wooden deck one floor below the collapsed deck

People inside the building at the time the unstable deck tore from the building wall and collapsed said that the whole building shook from the catastrophe. Tenants of the building where the deck collapsed said that they had gone to the real estate agent property managers previously with concerns about the stability of the deck. Our deck collapse attorneys point out that the property management company changed a few weeks prior to the Hamilton, NZ deck collapse. But tenants say there had been no inspection and no response to their complaints from the new property manager either.

The new property management company claimed that an inspection was scheduled for two weeks later. The old real estate manager of the Hamilton, NZ property indicated surprise at the deck collapse and claims he never had any indications from the tenants that anything was wrong with the deck.

Phone records and other corroborating accounts should provide evidence of prior complaints, despite their denials. Our deck collapse attorneys believe that post collapse investigations would reveal evidence of poor construction and poor maintenance issues. A simple denial won’t get landlords and property managers off the hook for their legal liability following the frightening Hamilton, NZ deck collapse.

If you have questions about a balcony or deck collapse that’s injured you or your loved ones, contact the knowledgeable deck collapse attorneys at Denena & Points for a free consultation. If you have questions, we have answers.

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