A Chicago porch collapse that occurred early Sunday morning on the North Side has injured at least four people, according to the Chicago Tribune. City officials are already saying that the porch was not up to code. Also, Chicago Buildings Department spokesman Bill McCaffrey stated that the porch was several decades old.
Around eight people were on second level of the rear porch when it became separated from the building and collapsed. The building is located in the 3700 block of N. Ashland Avenue. The City has had no prior complaints about the structure. Further, because the building is only 2 1/2 stories tall, it is not required to undergo annual inspections under the building code.
Four people that were injured in the collapse were taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center. One of the victims was in serious-to-critical condition, while the others were in fair-to-serious condition. Four other people refused medical treatment.
While it has been a while since Chicago area porch collapses were in the news, there were actually two separate collapses this weekend. The other collapse occurred in south suburban Tinley Park on Saturday. 11 people were hurt in that accident.
ABC News is reporting that the Tinley Park collapse occurred in the Odyssey Club subdivision. Several people were standing under a second story wood deck of a townhouse when it collapsed around 5:30 PM. It is reportedly not yet known what caused the collapse. The deck was about 10 feet off the ground and was located in the 0–100 block of Iliad Drive.
The people injured in the accident were taken to St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields. None of the injuries are supposed to be life-threatening. Most of the injured were senior citizens.
It has not been reported if Chicago premises liability lawyers are involved in either case yet.