Department of Buildings responds quickly to Brooklyn building collapse

Monday, 22 June 2009

Moving with the sort of expediency few New York construction accident lawyers would expect of it, the New York City Department of Buildings has begun an aggressive investigation of the building collapse at 493 Myrtle Avenue in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn.

The Local reports that Robert Limandri, the commissioner of the Department of Buildings, held a news conference at the site of the collapse today after conducting his own inspection of the site. "We are right now zeroing in on what happened, what work was being done and what caused the building to collapse," Mr. Limandri said, as reported by The Local.

The Department of Buildings' investigation is focusing on work - commenced without a permit earlier this month - to repair a large crack on the eastern face of the building. The Department is also considering a long history of resident complaints of excessive shaking and vibrations.

Perhaps most significant for New York construction accident lawyers, the Department of Buildings has indicated it may reassess the findings of its last inspection of the building, conducted on May 1. Considering this inspection concluded the building was fit for habitation less than two months before its collapse, this reassessment could prove interesting. If it leads to a significant change in how the Department of Buildings conducts its investigations it could have repercussions for construction accident lawyers in New York City.

We hope the Department of Buildings conducts a thorough investigation of this incident. A quick review of some of the pictures of the scene makes clear it was only through luck that no one was seriously injured or killed in the collapse.

The Department of Buildings' mission is to ensure the safe and lawful use of every building in the city. It should use this collapse as a catalyst to reform itself to better fulfill that purpose.

[ The Local]