Premises liability accidents can often be prevented and New York City, with thousands of older buildings, has established law in an effort to reduce the number of serious incidents. Several Kreindler partners focus their practice on premises liability cases. We have handled numerous cases in which family members have been seriously injured or killed due to crumbling facades, falling metal fire escape parts, or loose mortar or bricks. Kreindler & Kreindler is dedicated to protecting people injured by the negligence of property owners.
Scaffolding in Midtown Manhattan, NYC 2020
The Façade Inspection & Safety Program (FISP) - previously known as Local Law 11, requires New York City building owners of structures higher than 6 stories to hire professionals to inspect exterior walls and appurtenances every 5 years and then file an electronic report. If you think that a building owner or contractor or maintenance party has been negligent resulting in injuries due to a premises collapse, call on our law firm’s 70 years of experience representing seriously injured victims and their families - determining who is responsible and fighting for the largest compensation possible.
Causes of Crumbling Façade and Building Collapse
Lack of timely inspections
Poor maintenance
Inadequate repairs
Improper construction
Rain, snow, and ice - trapped moisture and expansion from freeze-thaw cycles
corroded, older metal fire escapes that may break apart and fall
deterioration of the adhesive used for attaching bricks, crown molding, and architectural ornaments
Kreindler attorney Andrew “Duke” Maloney currently represents the surviving family of a Long Island man who was killed by a fire escape stair tread that broke and fell in 2018.
Kreindler Partner Andrew Maloney On Representing Widow Of Man Killed In Fire Escape Tragedy
Metal bolts supporting the stair were corroded and the 50-pound tread fell seven stories and hit our client in the head. He was walking to a work meeting in Manhattan. The rusty fire escape had been painted over as a cost-saving measure in order to hide the rusting metal and decay. They previously submitted a report to the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) claiming that the fire escape was safe for the next 5 years when it failed less than three years later while one of their contractors was walking on the fire escape with no protective scaffolding below. The city correctly issued a violation to the owner, but with only a paltry fine.
Days, weeks, and months went by with no corrective work being performed. Worse still, no scaffold or sidewalk shed was installed to protect pedestrians until the danger was resolved.
Article in The Atlantic on the dangers of fire escapes.
A 2018 article in the Atlantic by writer Pippa Biddle mentioned this case among others in a piece about 19th century and early 20th-century fire escapes. Biddle notes, “fire escapes, initially invented to save people from danger, have become the cause of new peril.”
Pianist Injured by Facade Collapse in Boston, Massachusettes
Kreindler partner Anthony Tarricone is prosecuting a similar case in Boston, MA in which a crumbling piece of a building facade fell upon a young pedestrian from New York, while she vacationed late last year. That case is known as The Common Ground Façade Collapse and has many similarities to a recent midtown Manhattan tragedy.
The Boston case involves the building parapet that hangs over a public sidewalk. Its unchecked decay was a public nuisance and the building was in deadly condition at the time of the incident.
Kreindler Client Sonya Bandouil Appears on the Today Show with Al Roker
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Lack of Mandatory Inspections
One of the engineers and author of the Allston Common Ground collapse report, Bob Freel, told the Globe that he believes low-rise buildings should be inspected regularly to avoid these types of accidents. In addition, Michael Peterman, an architect and a co-chair of the international materials organization ASTM’s (formerly American Society for Testing and Materials) facade inspection task group, believes that all cities should require periodic facade inspections for low-rise buildings as well high rise buildings.
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Facade collapses are becoming more common. The front of a 115-year-old building toppled over in downtown Russellville, Alabama, barely missing the building owner and a small child. In August 2018, bricks from the front wall of an art gallery in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood crumbled onto the sidewalk and into the street, causing traffic to be rerouted. And tragically, in 2015, a 2-year-old girl died after she and her grandmother were crushed beneath stone and debris when an eighth-floor window ledge fell from a Manhattan building.
Facades in the northeastern United States may be more susceptible to unexpected collapses because of the combination of the age of the buildings and the rain-freeze-thaw cycle of the climate, both of which can accelerate the deterioration.
Existing Facade Ordinances
Many cities around the country, require buildings over a specific height to undergo regular facade inspections. As of now, however, inspections are typically not mandatory for low-rise structures. One of our active cases involves a couple injured in the Common Ground building collapse in Allston. “The obligation to maintain the buildings falls on the owner,” Quincy Building Commissioner Jay Duca told The Boston Herald. “There’s no inspection of a parapet unless they’re doing work on it or on the roof.”
According to facadeordinance.com, in many cities only buildings taller than 70 feet or those deemed a high-rise structure require inspection. Inspections of building facades on structures up to 125 feet can be “performed visually with the aid of binoculars or other equipment or from adjacent structures, etc. Facades higher than 125 feet above grade shall include a close-range visual inspection consisting of at least one drop per facade. Inspection of an occupied structure is required at least once every five years and once per year for unoccupied structures. Inspection reports are required to be written by a registered architect or engineer.”
Of course, these are minimum standards and should be only the starting point for what constitutes reasonable care under the circumstances. With the increase of façade and fire escape collapses, it would be in the best interest of cities to begin requiring more frequent inspections on the exteriors of older buildings of all heights.
Kreindler attorneys are dedicated to investigating the cause of structural collapses (such as fire escapes, building facades, ornamental moldings, interior ceilings, signage, and trees) that cause serious injury or death and will fight for justice to hold responsible parties accountable. Kreindler is one of the most highly regarded personal injury law firms in the country concerning complex wrongful death claims.
We Know Premises Liability Law, but We Also Know This Is Your Life
Our attorneys and partners have litigated numerous premises liability cases in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and elsewhere. Having helped so many others, we understand the impact of something like this. You’ll always find us to be respectful, compassionate, and responsive to any concerns. And remember, you’ll never pay attorney fees unless and until you receive a monetary award.
Referring Counsel: Let’s Discuss Your Client’s Case
Kreindler regularly partners with attorneys who already have a relationship with the victim or their family. If there is an award we share our fee while allowing referring attorneys to be as involved as is appropriate.
Lawyers unfamiliar with the complex challenges of premises liability law may miss key issues, and therefore opportunities to secure and maximize compensation. We have the resources to dig deep and challenge even large international companies in court.
Kreindler Attorneys Here to Answer Your Questions
Since 1950, our attorneys have served as leading counsel in nearly every major commercial aviation disaster litigation. Having helped so many families, our attorneys understand the impact a devastating injury or death can have on you and your family. Sadly, what has been done cannot be undone. However, we are here to help you achieve a sense of closure, justice, and financial security to help you move on following a tragedy.
Call today 800.331.2782 or fill out our contact form.
Days, weeks, and months went by with no corrective work being performed. Worse still, no scaffold or sidewalk shed was installed to protect pedestrians until the danger was resolved.
The Boston case involves the building parapet that hangs over a public sidewalk. Its unchecked decay was a public nuisance and the building was in deadly condition at the time of the incident.
