In an unusual balcony collapse accident in Kitchener, Ontario, a second floor balcony on a home collapsed under a man stringing Christmas lights but remained attached to the home. As a practiced balcony collapse lawyer, I suspect that the balcony separated from the front supporting members. The Kitchener, ON balcony dropped and fell against the front of the home where it hung perpendicular to its previous position.
This indicates that the attachment to the home itself through the ledger board was probably still fairly secure. The connected bolts may have sheared some to allow the balcony to hang at a 90-degree angle rather than falling off altogether. So the attachment is no longer structurally sound, and the remainder of the balcony could fall at any time.
The news item describing the accident doesn’t go into detail on the balcony itself. The reporter focused on the poor man left dangling from a tree after his balcony collapsed beneath him.
But for the front edge to have fallen while the back edge remained connected to the wall, we might infer that the balcony was made of wood and that the connecting hardware and support joists at the front had corroded or weakened over time. The balcony might have been 20 years old or more. Older wood finishes don’t protect wood as well as newer treatments. (On the other hand, the newer treatments corrode metal connecting hardware more quickly.)
The wood might have begun to crack and split at the connection points, leaving only a fraction of the original support for the live loads on the balcony. In this weakened condition, the balcony would not have been able to successfully transfer the load of even one adult male. In trying to transfer the load, the stresses could have pushed supporting members away from the balcony floor and rails that they were supporting, leading to a sudden balcony collapse accident.
The 67-year-old man standing on the second floor balcony was both nimble and fortunate. He transferred his live load to the tree beyond the balcony just in time to save himself from a nasty fall. Most victims of balcony collapse are not so lucky. Many receive catastrophic injuries, and more than a few die in balcony collapse accidents.
Prior to its collapse, the balcony in Kitchener, ON might have appeared just as sturdy as always. Corrosion of connecting hardware, slow wood rot beneath the balcony finish, and time-related splitting, cracking, expansion, and contraction of wood structures can require a close inspection and trained eye to detect.
Our experienced balcony collapse lawyers at Denena & Points could help you recover just financial compensation if you’ve been injured by a sudden balcony collapse accident. We’ve guided clients to successful outcomes in several high-profile balcony collapse claims, and we could help you too.
Contact us today through our website or toll-free at 877-307–9500 to schedule a free and confidential legal consultation to discuss your accident. We could explain your legal options in the case and strategies for financial recovery. Our goal is your successful recovery of fair compensation for your unexpected balcony collapse injuries.