Structural Collapses
SMB’s team of structural collapse attorneys has unparalleled experience and success in representing construction workers, customers, and others who have been catastrophically injured or killed in structural collapses.
Buildings aren’t supposed to fall down during construction or afterwards. When they do, we find out why and who was responsible.
Robert J. Mongeluzzi
We have handled numerous cases in each of the three primary categories of structural collapses:
- Those that occur during the construction of the building or structure
- Those that occur to an existing building or structure
- Those that occur during the demolition of the building or structure
Unmatched Results
In each type of collapse, SMB has secured multimillion-dollar, record-setting verdicts and settlements, including:
- $227,000,000 settlement for the Salvation Army store collapse in Center City Philadelphia that killed seven people and injured twelve—the largest personal injury settlement in Pennsylvania history.
- $101,000,000 settlement for the Atlantic City Tropicana Casino parking garage collapse that killed four people and injured 30 others—the largest construction accident settlement in U.S. history.
- $29,500,000 settlement for the Pier 34 collapse at Philadelphia’s port that killed three people and injured 43—one of the largest premises liability settlements in Philadelphia history.
- $227,000,000$227 million in damages will be paid to the 19 plaintiffs—including the loved ones of the seven that died in the June 5, 2013, Salvation Army ...Read Story
- $101,000,000A global settlement worth more than $101 million has been reached in the massive litigation stemming from the October 2003 collapse of the Tropicana ...Read Story
- $1,400,000Mark Bowers fell 40 feet to the ground when a catwalk collapsed under him at the USX Plant in Fairless Hills. Bowers, a mechanic for subcontractor ...Read Story
Unmatched Knowledge & Experience
Structural collapse cases are complicated, highly technical, and data-intensive. Having handled many construction matters, SMB is uniquely equipped to analyze building codes, blueprints, engineering and inspection reports, product designs, and the pre-and post-collapse communications among the numerous defendants in these cases: architects, engineers, developers, property owners, product manufacturers, construction managers, and contractors.
As part of our process, we engage top experts in construction best practices, forensic engineering, and materials science. All of this effort is to get to the bottom of what happened and why:
- Was the structure built according to its design?
- Was the structure designed according to code, or was it improperly designed?
- Were the foundation and building materials appropriate?
- Was the building properly braced during construction?
- Was it engineered to be structurally stable?
- How well was the structure maintained?
- Was the owner aware of any potential safety hazards?
- Were there any signs or indications that a collapse was imminent?
- Were steps taken to address hazards and protect the structure’s users?
- Was the demolition properly planned and engineered?
SMB’s attorneys work tenaciously to help the victims of collapse accidents receive all of the compensation they deserve, including damages for pain and suffering, emotional trauma, medical costs, lost income, and future earnings.
If you have been injured—or a family member has been injured or killed—as a result of a structural collapse, SMB can help.