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The 2003 Chicago balcony collapse was a disaster that occurred on 29 June 2003 in the city of Chicago. An overloaded balcony collapsed during a party in an apartment building, killing thirteen people and seriously injuring fifty-seven others. It is the deadliest porch accident in United States history.[1] June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 185 days remaining. ...
2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Nickname: The Windy City, The Second City, Chi Town, City of the Big Shoulders, The 312, The City that Works, Second City (reference to when Chicago was second in population and prestige to New York). ...
A balcony comprising a balustrade supported at either end by plinths. ...
Porch collapse or Balcony collapse is a phenomenon typically associated with older multi-story apartment buildings that have wooden porch extensions on the front or rear of the building. ...
A red brick apartment block in central London, England, on the north bank of the Thames An apartment building, block of flats or tenement is a multi-unit dwelling made up of several (generally four or more) apartments (US) or flats (UK). ...
Background
The building was an apartment building located in the Wrigleyville area of the city's North Side.[2] The second and first floors were being used as a party venue at the time of the collapse.[3] Most of the party-goers were in their early 20s.[2] One witness says she warned other people in the building that the balconies were unsafe,[3] but another later said of the balcony “It looked like it was newly built. It looked sturdy.”[1]
Collapse About fifty people were on the wooden balcony at the time of the collapse.[4] According to one witness, the sound of splintering wood was heard immediately before the collapse,[2] which occurred shortly after midnight local time.[3] The balcony was located on the second floor, and pulled down other balconies below it as it collapsed.[2] The ground, first and second floor balconies all collapsed into the basement below, carrying a total of around one hundred people between them.[1] Several people were also trapped in a basement stairwell.[3] Survivors helped to pull victims out from under the debris of the balconies, and rescue workers had to use chainsaws to free others.[2] One of the survivors was a nurse, and had started a rescue effort before the emergency services arrived.[1] The Chicago Fire Department's Special Rescue Service were the first on the scene, and supplied the main rescue effort.[1] Eleven people were killed in the collapse with two more subsequently dying in hospital; fifty-seven people were injured.[2][4] A townhouse with basement windows showing A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. ...
A chainsaw (also spelled chain saw) is a portable mechanical, motorized saw. ...
This article focuses on the education and regulation of nurses. ...
Emergency services are services that deal with emergencies and other aspects of Public Safety. ...
Engine 117 fights a fire on Chicagos West Side at the Garfield Park Conservatory. ...
Investigation Initial inquiries suggested that the collapse was probably due to overcrowding.[2] This was backed up by neighbors, who told authorities that the balconies were only designed to hold between twenty and thirty people.[2] Chicago's fire chief said that “It appears to be a case of too many people in a small space.”[1] Norma Reyes, the city’s building commissioner, said “I have no indication of any substandard problems or insufficiencies with the porch at this time. The buildings are not made for large assemblies and parties.”[1] Fire Chief is a top executive rank in a fire department, either elected or appointed. ...
However, it was ultimately determined that poor construction was to blame. In 1998, a permit was issued to owner LG Properties to install furnaces, air conditioners and water heaters in the building, but not to build the balcony.[4] The balcony jutted out eleven feet from the building, one foot further than permitted by city codes, and had an area of 231 square feet, 81 square feet larger that permitted.[4] The balcony also had inadequate supports,[4] was floored with undersized lengths of wood, and was attached to the walls with screws that were too short.[1]
Aftermath Three days after the disaster, the city sued the owners and managers of the building in the Housing Court due to a number of breaches in building regulations. Those named in the complaint included LG Properties, the company's president Philip Pappas and George Koutroumos, the contractor who built the balcony.[4] The city was reportedly seeking $500 per violation for each day the structure was in existence, totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars, and a court order for the replacement of the balcony.[4] The apartment block was legally uninhabitable until the balconies were replaced, as they provided mandatory emergency exits.[4] The city's Buildings Department inspected forty-two other buildings owned or managed by Pappas and/or LG Properties for similar violations.[4] The city also claimed that twenty-one other buildings owned by Pappas had similar problems.[1] They did, however, note the fact that he had since made "dramatic improvements" to all 21 porches.[1] A court order is an official proclamation by a judge (or panel of judges) that defines the legal relationships between the parties before the court and requires or authorizes the carrying out of certain steps by one or more parties to a case. ...
Emergency Exit, by Manlio Santanelli, is a play written originally in Italian. ...
In the aftermath of the disaster, Chicago inspected a huge number of similar structures to ensure they were safe, with 500 cases being turned over to the city's Law Department for court action, and 760 cases referred to administrative hearing officers.[5]
Pappas continued to blame overcrowding for the disaster.[1] However, an undercover press investigation discovered all his properties now display notices forbiding parties on the balconies.[1] Pappas also claims that a police report that says two unnamed witnesses informed a paramedic that they saw several people "jumping up and down" on the balconies shortly prior to the collapse.[1] A Paramedic is a specialized health care professional who responds to medical and trauma emergencies in the pre-hospital (out-of-hospital) environment for the purpose of stabilizing and transporting the patient to an appropriate medical facility, usually by ambulance. ...
No criminal charges were filed in the aftermath of the disaster.[1] Pappas was fined a total of $108,000 as a result of the collapse.[1] Twenty-seven families sued Pappas and the city over the accident.[1] The balcony was rebuilt afterwards, this time with metal.[1]
References in popular culture The disaster inspired a 2005 episode of the ER television show.[6] The Show Must Go On is the 245th episode of the NBC television series, ER Spoiler warning: // Dr. John Carter is back in the States to wrap up his affairs. ...
See also Engine 117 fights a fire on Chicagos West Side at the Garfield Park Conservatory. ...
Porch collapse or Balcony collapse is a phenomenon typically associated with older multi-story apartment buildings that have wooden porch extensions on the front or rear of the building. ...
Chicago, looking North from State and Washington Streets This article is about the history of Chicago, Illinois. ...
ER is a long-running American serial medical drama created by novelist Michael Crichton and set primarily in the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. ...
References - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Without Warning, Chaos - Who's To Blame For A Chicago Porch Collapse That Killed 13 People? - CBS News - Obtained March 30, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Chicago balcony collapse kills 12 - BBC News - Obtained March 30, 2007.
- ^ a b c d I thought I'd die, says balcony collapse woman - BreakingNews.ie - Obtained March 30, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i City officials sue Chicago building owner over porch collapse - USA Today - Obtained March 30, 2007.
- ^ City steps up porch checks in year since tragedy - Chicago Sun-Times - Obtained March 30, 2007.
- ^ 'ER' heroics in porch collapse enhance Carter's farewell - Chicago Sun-Times - Obtained March 30, 2007.
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