Façade Collapse Injures Woman
Workers attempt to clear chunks of concrete from the accident scene at 201 South 13th Street. Photo courtesy WPVI-TV.
Local residents and nearby workers described a terrifying scene yesterday as a 30-year-old woman was hit by a chunk of concrete falling from a façade at 13th & Walnut Streets.
It happened around 9:30 in the morning as contractors were working on a building at 201 South 13th Street. While emergency crews responded and the woman is now in critical condition at Jefferson Hospital, some events preceding the accident indicate a history of building violations at the site.
“They work on this [building] all the time…” said a nearby worker in one report, motioning to a crumbling ornate façade on the building. Several news stories uncovered that the site has a history of building violations with Philadelphia’s Licenses & Inspections department, with the most recent one in November calling the building an “unsafe structure.”
The city immediately ordered that protective barriers be put in place to prevent further injury. If you have a question about a building in the city, you can look up a property report on the city’s website, or also submit an inquiry or complaint to any city department through Philly311.
More importantly, if you were hurt at an unsafe property in the city, contact a top Philadelphia premises liability attorney to discuss your legal options.