A four-story apartment building was evacuated last month after a façade collapse in Brooklyn left safety officials questioning the stability of the building. Decorative masonry fell from the front of the building and crashed to the sidewalk and street below on August 3rd around 11 in the morning. When investigators arrived, they saw cracks in the façade of the building. There was no way to determine at the time whether the building had lost its structural integrity and stability or the façade was just starting to fail. Out of fear of structural failure, they evacuated the entire building and cordoned off the area beneath the failing façade.
The apartment sits along Bedford Avenue in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood and is home to multiple families but thankfully nobody was hurt. However, these individuals were forced to find other living accommodations while the building is being stabilized and repaired.
A Department of Building spokesperson told reports that “enforcement actions” against the building’s owner were pending due to the preliminary findings of their investigation.
Under New York City law, most owners of multi-family homes of three stories or higher are required to regularly inspect facades for damage or wear. If damage is spotted during those inspections, they only have a finite amount of time to initiate repairs otherwise they could be facing fines.
However, if a person is injured by a crumbling façade in New York City, they can often hold the building’s owner financially responsible for their injuries. That means the owner could be responsible for the victim’s pain and suffering, lost time from work, unpaid medical expenses including physical therapy and rehabilitation and any out-of-pocket health related expenses. Accidents such as these often result in severe if not catastrophic injuries.
New York premises liability law can be tricky. If you’ve been injured by masonry that has tumbled from the front of a building you need an expert façade accident lawyer in New York City fighting for you. Contact the Law Office of Nussin S. Fogel for your free consultation today. Call 800-734-938 or 212-385-1122 right now.