As New Yorkers, we are aware that building collapses are a sad and unfortunate reality that we must accept living in an urban environment that was built and established hundreds of years ago. Throughout this past year, the news has been full of stories of building collapses around the five boroughs of the city. We all remember the East Village building collapse of this past March, where 25 people were injured. The building exploded and later collapsed after construction workers hit a gas line.
Just this past week, a four story building collapsed in the Bedford-Stuyvestant section of Brooklyn. This led to three people attaining injuries. Pedestrians were all of a sudden put in harms way, the cars driving down the street were taken by complete surprise, and the A and C subway lines that run underneath the building were seriously affected, as well.
For buildings to stand tall like they do in New York, they must be precisely designed and constructed. Construction is a complex equation that brings the talents of architects, engineers, material manufacturers, contractors, and subcontractors to bear. If one link in this chain fails and one party neglects its duty to the others, tragic building collapse accidents may occur, we we have seen proof of this.
The same requirements hold when buildings are demolished, renovated, or rebuilt. Certain protocol is in place when working on a building and if that protocol is not strictly followed, serious harm can result. As crews continued to dismantle the building in Bed-Stuy after it collapsed this week, investigators confirmed that contractors had applied for a demolition permit in December but that no permit was ever issued. This is unacceptable.
At the Law Office of Richard M. Kenny, our attorneys have dealt with numerous building collapse cases throughout their combined century of experience in the personal injury field. If you were involved in a building collapse or if you have structural problems with your home or apartment which led to an injury or health problems, contact the experienced attorneys at our firm today. We go above and beyond to make sure every witness is interviewed, every surveillance tape is examined, and every case gets won.