Important News from Your Texas Accident Lawyer

Deck Collapse Seriously Injures Ten People

Posted on Jun 23, 2010

Spring and Summer are the time of year when people are outside entertaining and enjoying the outdoors so decks and balconies all over the country are getting a lot of use. Unfortunately, when decks, balconies and balcony railings fail the injuries are often very severe.

In the video above, the floor of the deck collapsed underneath the people on the deck. Another type of common failure mode occurs when the balcony railings give way, usually without warning, and people fall. If the structure meets the applicable codes and is maintained properly overloading is rarely, if ever, the cause of the failure. In fact, a prominent expert in the balcony and deck construction arena is quoted as saying he has never seen a code compliant balcony fail.

Why do balconies, decks and guardrails fail? Some of the reasons include:

- inadequate attachment to the structure
- noncompliance with the building code
- rotten or damaged wood or hardware

First and foremost property owners must inspect structures regularly. Then the structure must be maintained properly and repaired when necessary.