A tenant in a Bronx apartment building is recovering from injuries she suffered after falling through the floor in the bathroom and landing in the basement. According to a CBS2 news report, the partial floor collapse occurred in the woman’s first-floor apartment on Shakespeare Avenue in the Bronx. Officials with the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) arrived at the scene and discovered a portion of the floor, directly in front of the shower and the toilet, collapsed into the cellar below.
Building Safety Issues
The woman was rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Many tenants said they are concerned about the lack of maintenance at the apartment building. One neighbor said he has tried to organize tenants in the building for more than a year now to report issues such as leaks, pests and electrical and structural concerns.
He told CBS2 that they have been telling the landlord (building owner) for a while about the problems, but he has not done anything about them. The DOB issued a partial vacate order for the apartment unit that was affected. DOB officials also determined that the collapse was caused by lack of proper maintenance.
Another tenant said her bathroom ceiling was also in disrepair and shared videos of rainwater pouring through the hallways. DOB officials have said they will require the building owner to bring in an engineer to look into some of the problems in the building. The building owner was issued a summons and tenants are hoping this action can help with some of the building safety issues, based on the news report.
Liability in Building Collapse Incidents
Floors in buildings can collapse because the property owner or property manager failed to recognize structural problems. Sometimes, these issues manifest in the form of rotting or damaged wood. Bulges in walls are also indicators that the structure is compromised. Uneven floors are another red flag because it indicates that the building may be shifting to one side.
Under New York’s premises liability law, the owner of a property or a landlord (building owner) is required to exercise reasonable care of the property. They are required to inspect the property regularly. They must also regularly maintain the property, which includes checking for hazards and repairing those dangerous conditions. Building owners are also required to warn tenants and those living or working on their property about existing dangerous conditions.
Generally speaking, landlords (building owners) and property managers can be held liable if there are structural issues that result in injuries. Whether it’s a floor collapse, stairway collapse or wall or balcony collapse, the liability attaches on property owners or property managers because they have an obligation to inspect, correct the defects and warn tenants about possible dangers in a timely manner. Tenants, visitors or guests who have been injured as a result of a landlord’s (building owner’s) failure to maintain may be able to file a premises liability lawsuit seeking compensation for their injuries, damages and losses.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident because of the negligence (carelessness) of a property owner or property manager, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. Our law firm helped a hot water burn victim secure $750,000 in damages from the property owner and manager.
For over 50 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/tenant-injured-after-falling-through-floor-of-bronx-apartment-building/?ftag=CNM-00-10aac3a