6 people died today and others suffered serious injuries when an apartment balcony they were on collapsed. The apartment balcony collapse accident happened in Berkeley, California, and the victims appear to be Irish citizens in California on short term work visas (J-1).
According to cnn.com, this tragic incident happened at the Library Gardens Apartment. In addition to the six people who were reportedly killed in this accident, at least another seven people have serious injuries for which they have been hospitalized.
It is not yet clear exactly what caused this balcony to collapse, but reports suggested the entire balcony tore away from the building, from the 4th floor. Berkeley police reported that the incident occurred between 12 and 1am this morning.
There are many legal ramifications for a tragic incident such as this one. First, the heirs of the wrongful death victims should file California wrongful death claims against the apartment complex. In addition, the severely injured guests or residents of the apartment may make personal injury claims against the apartment complex.
An apartment complex like this one should carry significant liability insurance, which will be necessary to cover the massive wrongful death and injury damages incurred here. The apartment complex may also try to divert liability onto the contractors who built the balcony and it will be necessary to examine whether the balcony was built to code. It will also be necessary to look at how many people were on the balcony and what weight the balcony was built to hold.
Our California personal injury lawyers obtained over $2,000,000.00 for the victim of a balcony railing collapse case. In our case, a temporary railing gave way, causing our client to fall from the balcony and suffer serious injuries.
We recommend that the families of all of the victims of this incident contact a California personal injury attorney who is experienced with handling premises accident injury cases. We wish our sincerest condolences to the families of the deceased and wish a speedy recovery to those who suffered injuries.