Building Collapse Lawyers Discuss the Causes and Consequences of the Collapse of a Building under Construction in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn

An apartment building under construction in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, NY collapsed Tuesday, November 8, 2011 with 5 workers inside. A concrete supplier says that the Brighton Beach building collapse occurred just as concrete from his truck was being pumped up onto the 2nd and 3rd floors. So far, it looks like the 2nd floor of the apartment building collapsed under the weight of the concrete. Then the 3rd floor followed in the Brighton Beach building collapse. Our building collapse lawyers mention that one "official" theory behind the collapse of the NYC World Trade Center twin towers on 9/11/01 postulates a similar floor collapse scenario.

Building collapse lawyers well know that floors might suffer sequential collapse like that in the Brighton Beach building collapse for a number of reasons. A few possible reasons follow.

• Inadequate joists supporting the floors.
  
  Poor connections between structural members.
  
  Use of nails where bolts were needed.
  
  Poor calculation of live load and dead load support needs.
  
  Use of cheap, weak structural materials.

News accounts of the dramatic Brighton Beach building collapse mention that just on Saturday, the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) received a complaint from a local resident of the neighborhood that construction on the apartment building was proceeding "after hours." In NYC, the wheels of the DOB turn slowly. Sometimes construction might reach completion before permit applications receive approval. News reports mention that several open permits existed on the apartment building undergoing construction in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.

DOB rules, however, are meticulous. Nighttime construction in residential neighborhoods is generally our of the question. Although it happens all the time.

NYC residents, especially in the outer boroughs, know hat construction often proceeds without adequate permits and after hours. Workers might be immigrant day laborers with little or no oversight and little professional experience in construction.

The NYC Corporation Counsel's Code Enforcement Unit has a constant, heavy caseload against builders, road workers, and others operating without adequate permits or in violation of their permits. The permit violations provide a constant, if minuscule, source of City revenue. I doubt that the fines even pay for the operation of the Code Enforcement Unit, but I might be wrong in that regard.

5 workers were inside the partially completed apartment building when the Brighton Beach building collapse occurred. Rescue workers strove frantically to dig them out of the rubble of the collapsed structure. When extracted from the rubble of the apartment building, one sturdy worker refused medical treatment. One worker went into cardiac arrest and was hospitalized in critical condition. Three other workers with injuries were listed in stable condition at Lutheran Medical Center.

It's a minor miracle that no one was killed under the weight of the suddenly collapsing concrete and (inadequate) support structure in this Brighton Beach building collapse. Our building collapse lawyers are relieved that no fatalities or further injuries occurred in this catastrophic apartment building collapse.

Experienced attorneys for balcony and structural collapses. Call us if you need help now recovering fair financial compensation after being injured or losing a family member to a structural collapse accident.