Surfside Champlain Towers Condominium Building Collapse Leaves Unanswered Questions

SteinLaw Injury Lawyers will ensure that justice is served and a full inspection is undertaken for all its clients injured in the Miami building collapse.

MIAMI, FL, USA, June 24, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Early Thursday morning, June 24, 2021, at around 2:00 a.m., a multistory condominium building in Surfside, Florida partially collapsed. The condo complex, known as The Champlain Towers, consists of 3 multistory residential buildings located on Collins Avenue right along the beach. The South Tower, which was built in 1981, essentially collapsed within itself in the early morning hours. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett confirmed that at least 10 people have been treated for injuries on-site, while 2 others were transported to the hospital, and only 1 fatality reported to date. Though, authorities expect more fatalities to be reported given the significance of this event.

Mayor Burkett commented briefly to the news media that, “there is no reason for a building to come down like that.” An important note to keep in mind is that the building had been under roof construction over the last 30 days and is something that will undoubtedly have to be looked further into. Burkett does believe that he “expect(s) that this building is not salvageable at this point.” A building such as the Champlain Towers consists of reinforced concrete and should not have collapsed in the way it did, for this defies logic. Coincidently, the condominium building was scheduled for its mandated 40-year recertification in 2021. The City of Surfside, where this building was located, has a statute detailing recertification and the requirements that condo buildings have in order to maintain safe and compliant operations.

According to the Miami Dade County, Florida building code, Section 8-11(f):

“All buildings, except single-family residences, duplexes and minor structures which are forty (4) years or older must be recertified by the Building Official when the structure becomes 41 years old and then every 10 years after the first Recertification.”

Pursuant to County Code, the building must hire a Registered Architect and/or a Professional Engineer to perform the electrical and structural inspections for the building. Following this inspection, the professional contracted party must submit a completed report of the inspection performed to the Governmental Compliance Section in the City of Surfside Building Department for review and approval.

As it relates to the 40-year structural required inspection, the main purpose is to ensure that the structural composition of the building is safe for continued use and occupancy by its residents. In fact, the Town of Surfside makes available a 40-Year Recertification Inspection Guide — electrical and structural. This supplement is encouraged to be utilized by the inspectors and engineers charged with the 40-year recent inspection for the structural integrity of the building. Ultimately, this is not a rubber stamp situation, in that should the Building Official determine that the structure is unsafe, the matter is forwarded to the Miami Dade County Unsafe Structures Board for further review and determination of action moving forward.

With respect to the Champlain Tower condo building collapse, dozens, and quite possibly hundreds, of more injuries and casualties are expected. An event like this is tragic in and of itself, though the fact that this collapse occurred without warning and in the middle of the night increases the likelihood of more injuries and fatalities.

Having a principal office located in Aventura, which is just down the street from Surfside, the SteinLaw Injury Lawyers will ensure that justice is served and a full inspection is undertaken for all its clients injured in this building collapse. Premises liability and condo safety go hand in hand, so ensuring that proper protocols and inspections were conducted by the Champlain Towers will largely determine the viability of any personal injury or wrongful death case arising from this tragic and unfortunate event.

To find out more about how SteinLaw may be able to assist with any injuries associated with this Miami condo collapse, contact us today by filling out our free case evaluation form or calling 877-783-4652.

More about SteinLaw
The SteinLaw injury lawyers focus on helping accident victims who have been injured or hurt by someone else’s negligence or wrongful conduct. The firm helps victims and their loved ones across Florida and has offices located in Aventura, Ft. Myers, Miami, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Weston and Ft. Lauderdale.

For more information about SteinLaw, visit their website https://www.steinlaw.com/ or call (877) 783-4652.

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