Last July, a 13 story building in Miami Beach that undergoing a demolition suddenly fell, amid odd circumstances, and flying debris fatally injured one of the contractor’s project managers. Now, the family of the man killed is filing lawsuits against all parties involved with the demolition, calling it “illegal” and “reckless.”
The video of the building demolition raised a few questions after it surfaced. Namely, it seemed like there were several people that were aware the building was about to fall, but there were minimal barricades and safety zones set up to keep the public away from the debris.
The lawsuit has been filed by the victim’s mother and named the owner of the property, Miami Beach Associates, general contractor Winmar Construction, and subcontractors AlliedBean Demolition and AA Demolition Management, according to the Miami Herald.
After the demolition, the city was clear that it had denied the contractor’s demolition permit for implosion. It did not appear that any explosives were used to topple the building, but rather, it was “tripped,” meaning the supports were structurally weakened to a point where the building would fall in upon itself.
The definition of “implosion” is going to be a key point in the lawsuit, as the lawsuit defines implosions as being either “the use of explosives or the non-explosive implosion method of the removal of structural components of the building...” I’ve always understood implosion to mean the use of explosives, but certain jurisdictions may have a different interpretation of that.
An OSHA investigation after the incident resulted in OSHA proposing 2 serious violations for a total of $17,590. After an informal settlement, the total penalty has been reduced to $12,324. The investigation summary reads: “At 12:00 p.m. on July 23, 2018, an employee was observing the demolition of the building. The employee was struck and killed by two chunks of concrete that was flung across the street as the building collapsed. The employee was struck on the leg and in the chest by pieces of concrete measuring approximately 40" X 32" X 14".”
Full story: Mother’s suit says Miami Beach condo demolition that killed son was ‘illegal, reckless’ | Miami Herald
