On Thursday, June 24, an unimaginable tragedy occurred when a 12-story oceanfront condo tower partially collapsed at around 1:30 am while many residents slept. At the time of this post, there has been one confirmed death and 35 survivors pulled from the rubble, some with catastrophic injuries, as an intense search and rescue mission continues. According to the Miami Herald, authorities are speculating additional fatalities although they did not give an exact number.
The oceanfront building, Champlain Towers South Condo located at 8777 Collins Ave in the town of Surfside, has 130 units and it is estimated that at least 70 units were either destroyed or damaged as a result of the incident. It is unclear what caused the collapse although Surfside Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer did tell reporters that the building was in the beginning stages of its 40-year recertification. She also noted that there were updates being done on the roof, but at this time it’s unknown if construction played a part in the collapse.
FIU Bridge Collapse Was Last Major Collapse
The tragedy reminds us of another catastrophic construction accident that affected our community. On March 15th, 2018, the Florida International University (FIU) bridge collapse became a Miami tragedy. At approximately 1:46 PM, the pedestrian bridge collapsed onto all lanes of traffic on SW 8 Street. Numerous motor vehicles below it were crushed and six people died with many others sustaining severe injuries.
David Sampedro represented one of the victims who was seriously injured in the FIU bridge collapse. The injured victims and families of the decedents filed lawsuits against the Design-Build Team that helped design and construct the faulty FIU Bridge. After months of litigation, in December 2019 it was announced that the parties would share a collective settlement of $102.7 Million. In addition, several individuals who were associated with the bridge’s construction filed lawsuits. During Panter, Panter & Sampedro’s investigation, it was found that several of the engineers and contractors may have ignored warning signs that pointed to a risk of the bridge collapsing.
The team at Panter, Panter & Sampedro is saddened by this tragic incident. It greatly affects our community as well as countless families and neighbors both closeby and far away. We are grateful for the emergency rescue crew working swiftly and diligently in the wake of this very sad incident. We hope everyone stays safe as crews continue to work to help as many people as possible.
Our team is always available in your time of need. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call at (305) 662-6178 with any questions.
