Structural Collapse

People expect the buildings and structures they enter to be structurally safe. Structure collapse accidents happen more frequently than most people realize. A collapse refers to the failure of a structure or component to maintain its structural integrity.

What is Structural Integrity?

Structural integrity and failure is an aspect of engineering that deals with the ability of a structure to support a designed structural load without breaking, and includes the study of past structural failures in order to prevent failures in future designs.

Structural integrity is the ability of an item to hold together under a load, including its own weight, without breaking excessively or deforming. Structural Integrity assures that the construction will perform its designed function during reasonable use, for as long as its intended life span. Items are constructed with structural integrity to prevent catastrophic failure, which can result in injuries, severe damage, or death.

Structural failure refers to the loss of structural integrity, or the loss of load-carrying capacity in either a structural component or the structure itself. Structural failure happens when a material is stressed beyond its strength limit, causing fracture or excessive deformations. In a well-designed system, a localized failure should not cause immediate collapse of the entire structure.

Whether the structure that collapses is large or small, the associated injuries tend to be serious, or even deadly. It’s not uncommon for building collapse victims to sustain catastrophic injuries, including head, brain, back, and spinal cord trauma.

In some cases, these injuries may require extensive medical treatment; make it difficult for victims to hold a job; or even necessitate long-term assistive care. The cost of medical treatments and rehabilitative services can add up quickly.

Types of Structural Failures

Structural failure can occur from many types of problems, most of which are unique to different industries and structural types.

• Strength - Structure is not strong and tough enough to support the load, due to its size, shape, or choice of material. If the structure or component is not strong enough, catastrophic failure can occur when the structure is stressed beyond its critical stress level
• Fatigue - Fatigue or corrosion, caused by instability in the structure’s integrity, design or material properties. These failures usually begin when cracks form at stress points, such as squared corners or bolt holes too close to the material's edge. These imperfections grow as the material is repeatedly stressed and unloaded, eventually reaching a critical stress point and causing the structure to suddenly fail under normal loading conditions
• Manufacturing errors - manufacturing errors, including improper selection of materials, incorrect sizing, improper heat treating, failing to adhere to the design, or poor workmanship. This type of failure can occur at any time and is usually unpredictable
• Defective materials - The materials may have been improperly manufactured or damaged from prior use
• Lack of consideration of unexpected problems - This failure can be caused by events such as vandalism, sabotage, or natural disasters. It can also occur if those who use and maintain the structure are not properly trained and overstress the structure

Types of Collapses

Structures that could collapse include buildings, bridges, balcony/porches, scaffolds and trenches. The collapse of structures such as trenches and scaffolds are among the most common causes of worker injury in the construction industry.

Building Collapse

A building collapse is the sudden structural failing, partially or entirely, of a building or parking structure, threatening human life and health. When internal load-bearing structural elements fail, a building will collapse into itself, and exterior walls pulled into the falling structure.

In building collapse cases, our experienced premises liability and personal injury attorneys examine the architectural and engineering standards of the building and help you through the complex legal issues that surround these types of premises liability claims.

Bridge Collapse

A bridge collapse is the abrupt failure of the basic structure of a bridge that impairs the ability of the bridge to serve its intended purpose and that damages a highway located on or under the structure.

If you’ve been injured in a bridge collapse, you do have options. Whether you were working at the time of the accident or just in the vicinity of a bridge collapse, you need to get in touch with our experienced personal injury attorneys about your case as soon as possible.

Balcony/Porch Collapse

Porch collapse or balcony collapse is a phenomenon typically associated with older multi-story apartment buildings that have wooden porch extensions on the front or rear of the building. The collapses have a number of causes, including overloading due to excessive weight from over-occupancy. (Deck, Patio, Porch, and Balconies)

Over the last several years our law firm has handled several cases where a balcony collapse resulted in a serious injury or death. Balcony and deck collapses have inpcreased by 20% since 2007.

Firm partner Clay Miller and associate attorney Warren Armstrong tried the case of Nohemi Campos vs. Loma Del Rey Apartments and A-Bar T Construction (162nd Judicial District Court). The case resulted in a $2,138,000 jury verdict.

Other cases our firm has litigated include balcony accidents due to rotten wood or corroded railings. Railing failures occur due to improper placement or corroded connection points. Many of our balcony cases have been successful due to quick investigation including obtaining temporary restraining orders to prevent destruction of key evidence and allowing immediate inspection of the balcony and remnants by our experts.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a deck, patio, porch, or balcony collapse, a lawsuit against the owner, contractor, or other party responsible for the construction, maintenance or repair may be the solution to obtaining the compensation you deserve. This may include medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, disfigurement, or compensation for death. Contact Miller Weisbrod for a free consultation.

Scaffolding Collapse

Construction and industrial sites often use scaffolding to reach upper levels of buildings. While scaffolding is commonly used to allow workers to safely access high rise infrastructures, they can also cause severe injuries as there are several hazards associated with their use.

Many times, scaffolding is missing important items like bracing that prevents workers from falling. Other common problems causing dangerous scaffolding involves the failure to place the proper footing on the scaffolding allowing it to become unstable and even collapse.

Some specialty trades use scaffolding called “pump jacks” to reach upper levels of a building under construction or undergoing maintenance/repair work. These scaffolding must have the appropriate bracing in place on the support poles or they can collapse or tip backwards from the building.

Depending on the circumstances of the accident and the specific cause, there may be multiple parties who can share in the liability, including the general contractor, the subcontractor, the supplier and the manufacturer. Miller Weisbrod’s experienced investigators will assess the accident to determine the cause and the negligent parties in our efforts to secure maximum compensation for your injuries.

Our client, while working for the City, fell when the scaffolding collapsed due to faulty components. He is now paraplegic. Our Personal Injury Lawyers obtained a recovery of $5,500,000.00.

Trench Collapse

A trench collapses when its walls fail to contain the pressure of the tones of soil pressing on it. Even though this can be problematic in any depth, it can accelerate if other materials are piled at the edge. A single cubic yard of soil amounts to 4000 pounds which is the weight of a small pickup truck. When a trench caves in, unprotected workers are buried under that mass instantly which can prove fatal.

Miller Weisbrod, Attorneys At Law has a proven record of success in obtaining large financial settlements and jury awards for victims of negligence. Our lawyers have the experience, industry knowledge and legal skill to handle a wide range of trench accident cases, including:

• Broken natural gas lines leading to suffocation or explosion
• Trench collapse accidents caused by improper shoring and supports
• Water infiltration resulting in drowning
• Accidents in other enclosed spaces such as manholes, sewers, storm water drains and tunnels
• Any trench accident resulting in brain injury, spinal cord injury, other catastrophic injury or wrongful death

Contact Miller Weisbrod

Miller Weisbrod, Attorneys At Law serves the legal needs of structure collapse victims and their families throughout Texas, and nationwide. Our firm is a leader in plaintiffs' personal injury trial law. We have the experience, skills and resources to help you seek maximum financial recovery after a structure collapse accident resulting in catastrophic injury or wrongful death.

If you were badly hurt or permanently disabled or a loved one died in a structure collapse accident anywhere in the United States, please contact us today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced lawyer. Fill out the contact form on this page to schedule an appointment, or call us directly at 214-987-0005; toll free at 888-987-0005.