A three-story building in the heart of Brooklyn, New York, suddenly collapsed to the ground, leaving nothing but a massive pile of rubble in its wake. At the time of the massive collapse, the building was all but vacant with only one person inside the structure at the time of the grim incident. The individual in the structure at the time of the catastrophic event was able to escape the scene with only relatively minor injuries. He was transported to a Brooklyn hospital for treatment. The lack of other injured people or fatalities represents a rare exception to the outcome of accidents associated with or arising from construction sites.
The building was a historic property in a tony neighborhood in the borough. With that said, the structure had been undergoing a major renovation at the time of the cataclysmic event. Specifically, the owner of the building contracted for major brick and stucco renovation on the exterior of the iconic building.
In the case of the Brooklyn building that ended up in a heap of brick, mortar, and other waste, a partial stop-work order had been issued by the city’s Department of Buildings. The partial renovation cessation order was issued because of purported violations associated with masonry demolition undertaken at the site.
The partial stop-work order also referenced a sizeable area of the building’s exterior wall. Specifically, the masonry brick wall was said to be dangerously protruding over the public sidewalk fronting the building. The construction team at the site failed to take any measures to protect the public or others from the inherent dangers presented by the bulging wall.
The bulge on the exterior wall was not the first time this type of issue was identified with this building. The Department of Buildings had noted exterior wall-related problems dating as far back as 2006. At the present time, investigators have issued no information about what may or may not have been done in regard to problems with the building's exterior walls since their initial discovery in 2006, 14 years before the complete collapse of the structure.
At the time of the sudden collapse of the building, a loud “boom” could be heard for an extended difference. Many who heard the explosive sound associated with the collapse described it as being quite like a bomb. Witnesses to the devastation following the collapse indicated that the aftermath reminded them of September 11th.
Other Recent Construction Site Accidents
The list of recent construction accidents is always long. Many of these incidents involve scaffolding, and these risers are being used in nearly all construction and in many renovation projects across the United States.
A couple of examples illustrate the consequences of a scaffolding accident. The first of these cases occurred under a week ago in San Jose, California. A motorist was driving by a building under construction during the evening rush hour. Scaffolding on the street side of the construction project suddenly gave way in its entirety, collapsing directly on the motorists passing automobiles. Fortunately, the motorist was able to extract himself from his vehicle without immediate, significant physical injuries.
A tragic scaffolding accident occurred at about the same time in Nashville, Tennessee. In this case, a 16-year-old boy was working at a construction site for a motel and was on scaffolding. He did not have a proper harness, either on his person or otherwise available on the scaffold itself.
Investigation is underway but what is known is that for some yet-to-be-determined reason, the boy fell from the scaffolding to his day. His 18-year-old brother witnessed the fatal accident.
Your Legal Right After a Construction Accident
If you or a loved one have been involved in a construction site accident, including one involving scaffolding, you need to be proactive to protect your important legal rights. Schedule an initial consultation with a Doan Law Firm construction accident injury lawyer by calling us any time at (800) 349-0000. Our construction accident hotline is staffed around the clock, 365 days a year. There is no charge for an initial consultation. A nationwide law firm, we can arrange an appointment with a construction accident lawyer at any one of our offices or a virtual consultation online.
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