Stay off those balconies

[mark handler]

Three taken to hospital after two balconies collapse at Greeley apartment building

JULY 20, 2015

http://kdvr.com/2015/07/20/two-balconies-collapse-at-greeley-apartment-building-3-taken-to-hospital/

REELEY, Colo. — Two balconies collapsed at a three-story apartment building in Greeley on Monday night. Seven people were involved, according to a spokesman with the Greeley Fire Department.

It happened in the 1100 block of 26th Avenue at 7 p.m. The balconies were on the second and third floors and it was unclear which one collapsed first. The second-floor balcony supported the one above it.

Greeley police officers were the first to arrive on the scene and they assisted with a person who was partially trapped in the debris.

Three people were taken to the hospital, all with minor injuries.

Crews were investigating what caused the balconies to collapse.

 

[fatboy]

Yeah, my jurisdiction. Just finished an interview with Fox News, Channel 4 Denver is on its way down. Glad I am off at 2:00...........

2nd floor failed, 45 years old, nail pull out, when it went it took the third floor balcony out.

 

[mark handler]

7 Hurt In Balcony Collapse, Including 3 Children: ‘Like In Slow Motion’

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/07/21/7-hurt-in-balcony-collapse-including-3-children/

GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4) – Seven people were hurt when a balcony collapsed in Greeley on Monday evening, three of them children. Fortunately there were no serious injuries.

There were at least two adults sitting on the top level balcony and two children on the middle level balcony when it collapsed at an apartment in the 1100 block of 26th Avenue.

Three people were taken to the hospital but no one was seriously injured. The injuries consist of sprains, bruises, scratches and stitches.

“Next thing we know we just started falling. It was like in slow motion, we just started falling,” said Cristi Myers, who was on the balcony. “It’s just … it’s unreal … it is, it was scary.”

“I heard a big crack and I looked over and I heard a little crack and then it just all dropped,” said witness Dakota Moore, who helped rescue victims. “I ran over and I saw a kid under the rubble, so I pulled him out, started moving boards off.”

At the complex on Monday there were signs the property’s owner is making improvements, but resident’s question why that wasn’t done before.

The building obtained its Certificate of Occupancy in July 1970, 45 years ago, which means that it passed building inspections at that time from the City of Greeley. Once that happens there is no city requirement to ever inspect the building again, according to Tim Swanson, Chief Building Official for the City Of Greeley.

Once a residential structure is built, the city relies on the property owner to watch for signs of aging and maintain the property.

The apartment complex is three stories tall with a single column of wood balconies on the second and third levels. The cause of the collapse is being investigated but Swanson attributes the cause to age with nails pulling out of the wood which caused the structure to pull away from the building.

“As far as I can tell it was built properly, it was a maintenance issue at the time,” Swanson said.

Swanson plans to send a letter to other nearby property owners with aging structures, encouraging them to get their decks inspected.

The property’s owner did not return calls from CBS4.

 

[fatboy]

Gee, thanks Mark............

 

[mark handler]

Gee, thanks Mark............

Enquiring minds need to know....

 

[mark handler]

Inspector: Old age caused 2 balconies to collapse at Greeley apartment building

July 21, 2015, by Tammy Vigil

GREELEY, Colo. — We now know what caused the collapse of two balconies at an apartment complex in Greeley Monday night. Greeley’s Chief Building Inspector Tim Jackson said old age and obsolete construction practices caused them to fall.

The balconies at Ridgestone Apartments at 1126 26th Avenue were built 45 years ago, in July 1970.

They were secured to the building using three-and-a-half inch nails.

But today’s building standards require much larger, oversized screws.

It was a warm evening Monday.

Families trying to cool off on their balconies, when relaxation turned to terror.

“I heard a crack. Next thing I know, we were falling,” said victim Cristi Myers.

She fell from a third floor balcony, about 20 feet, spraining her ankle and severely cutting her toe, requiring stitches.

“All of a sudden, we heard this huge crash, like a car crash,” said neighbor Melanie Hader.

Two balconies crashed–one on top of the other.

“They had kids up on this one (second floor) and two adults on the top one and they all collapsed down,” witness Dakota Moore, 13, said.

Seven people fell, including Cristian Bustamente, 13, who was with a group of two other small children and two adults on the second floor balcony.

“I thought it was like an earthquake,” he said.

But what shook him up the most was an injury to a 2-year-old girl.

“She had a cut right here, (he points to his forehead) then I couldn’t do anything for her,” said Bustamente.

Neighbors jumped into action to pull victims from the debris: heavy wood planks, chairs, a table and a bike.

“I tried to help. I was grabbing boards, throwing them off,” Moore said.

Jackson said the nails in the second floor balcony pulled out from the wall–dragging down the third floor balcony.

The city said it does not require any sort of inspections of balconies or decks after they’ve been built.

“Any maintenance falls back to the responsibility of the owner. So we literally have not looked at that deck since it was built in 1970,” Jackson said.

“That’s not right. Hopefully they’ll do something,” said victim Michelle Trujillo, who was also on the third floor balcony with Myers when it collapsed.

And do something soon, because if it happened once, it could happen again.

“I told my son don’t go on the balcony. We are going to talk to the manager. I don’t want anybody on there until we know,” Hader said.

“Everybody was lucky. It could have been worse,” Myers said.

Tuesday, the owner of the building pulled city permits to reinforce the other balconies on the property.

In the meantime, he’s requiring tenants to stay off of them.

And Jackson will send out letters to owners of other buildings in the neighborhood, strongly advising them to check their balconies for safety.

 

[ICE]

From looking at the debris pile I can see that the wood wasn't even painted and the posts were apparently let in at the corners.

There is a post holding up a balcony on the right side of the picture. There is no bracing and slenderness could be a factor.

They're placing the cause of the failure on nails that pulled out. I find it hard to believe that anyone would build second and third floor balconies that rely solely on nails to hold them to the building.

 

[fatboy]

Well, that's what they were, and it lasted for 45 years. Not an uncommon practice back in the day.

 

[steveray]

You did fine FB....No one wants that in their Town, sending out a mass notification is the best you can do...

 

[ICE]

Well, that's what they were, and it lasted for 45 years. Not an uncommon practice back in the day.

Quoting the Donald: "I like balconies that don't fall off".

 

[fatboy]

Neither do I, but as my inspector replied to one of the Firefighters on scene, when asked what caused the deck to fail, he grabbed his extended belly and replied "just like this, age and gravity!"

 

[rktect 1]

I like the use of the term victim"

Lawyer up!