During the work carried out using impact tools, the internal load-bearing wall was destroyed. These are the findings of the investigators. The court found two defendants, Michał K. and Andrzej B., guilty of unintentionally causing the collapse of part of a tenement house on Lubartowska Street in Lublin. The incident occurred in May 2017. Firefighters pulled a 40-year-old man out from under the rubble.
The ceiling of a tenement house at ul. Lubartowska in Lublin collapsed on May 24, 2017. The services arrived there after 2 p.m. About 20 people were evacuated from the property. One person, a 40-year-old man, was injured and was pulled out from under the rubble by firefighters. He was conscious and taken to hospital with leg injuries.
The tenement house collapsed in May 2017 TVN24
They faced up to five years in prison.
Due to its poor condition, the building was demolished and the prosecutor's office initiated an investigation.
In December 2021, investigators charged two men – Michał K. and Andrzej B. – for unintentionally causing a direct risk of collapse of the tenement house. The findings indicate that Michał K. commissioned Andrzej B.'s company to renovate the commercial premises on the ground floor. Investigators found that during the work carried out using impact tools, the internal, longitudinal load-bearing wall was destroyed, its stability was lost and the tenement house collapsed in the part adjacent to Nowy Plac Targowy.
The men pleaded not guilty. They faced up to five years in prison. The trial started in 2022. On Wednesday (June 26), the judgment was passed before the Lublin-Zachód District Court.
The fire department reported that the roof structure collapsed from one vertical section.TVN24
Court: they did not verify the technical condition of the premises
– The basic fault on the part of the defendants was the failure to verify the proper technical condition of the premises – said judge Mariusz Włodek, justifying Wednesday's verdict.
He added that the tenement house was a historical building, 117 years old and in poor technical condition. However, the accused did not report the works to the appropriate architectural and construction administration body, did not verify the technical condition of the premises, and the team carrying out the works had no experience in renovating buildings under conservation protection.
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As the judge said, most experts indicated renovation works as one of the causes of the disaster.
– Undoubtedly, an important factor that led to this incident was the poor technical condition of the building, but it was not the sole and exclusive cause. None of the expert opinions confirmed that abandoning renovation works would cause the building to collapse, he said.
The wings of the tenement house remained almost intact
The judge noted the time coincidence between the commencement of the renovation, the appearance of cracks in the building and its collapse. He noticed that only the part where the work was carried out was damaged. However, the wings of the tenement house remained almost intact.
The court found 44-year-old Michał K. and 45-year-old Andrzej B. guilty of unintentionally causing an event that threatened property on a large scale, in the form of the collapse of a tenement house. According to the court, the defendants acted together and in concert.
Fines and penalties
The court sentenced Michał K. to PLN 30,000. PLN fine and PLN 60,000 PLN compensation for victims of the collapse of a tenement house. Andrzej B. was sentenced to PLN 6,000. PLN fine and PLN 30,000 PLN compensation. The defendants also have to pay PLN 25,000 each. PLN for the costs of the proceedings, which in total amounted to approximately PLN 80,000. zloty.
The judgment is not final. The defense announced an appeal.
Main image source: TVN24