Balcony collapse plunges New York woman into fatal fall
Posted on October 3, 2015 in Premises Liability
On behalf of Pazer, Epstein, Jaffe & Fein, P.C. posted in Premises Liability on Thursday, August 8, 2013.
Many buildings in and around New York are very old. On the one hand, it is nice to respect and maintain these older buildings as they provide a historical feel and a sense of character to the surrounding area; but on the other hand, some of these houses can fall into a neglected state, becoming so dilapidated that some (or all) of their infrastructure are dangerous.
These dangerous premises can cause innocent people to suffer serious injuries, and often the landlord or building manager in charge of the premises can be held liable. The civil cases that spring from these incidents are referred to as premises liability lawsuits, and they can earn victims and their loved ones much-needed compensation for their painful ordeal.
Sadly, a recent incident of a rundown building giving way led to the death of a 35-year-old New York woman.
The woman, who was on a date, was smoking a cigarette out on the porch of her date’s porch. She was either leaning or sitting on the railing of the porch (it is unclear at this time what she did exactly) and the railing gave way, plunging the woman to her death. The building was constructed before World War II.
Police are investigating the incident and they do not suspect that the man in the apartment acted nefariously. It appears this is just a tragic fall, one that is likely to be blamed on the apartment’s poor care of the balcony railing. Police took part of the balcony with them so they could examine it and determine the faults of the material.
Source: Associated Press, “Woman on first date plunges 17 floors from NYC balcony,” Aug. 1, 2013