June 6, 2013

Six people have died and another 14 have sustained Philadelphia Personal Injuries as the result of a building collapse Wednesday morning. The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. in a pair of low-rise buildings in the Center City district of downtown Philadelphia.

According to a story released by CBS News Philadelphia, demolition crews had been hired to demolish an empty building at the corner of 22nd and Market Streets and were working to tear out a wall. Moments later, witnesses reported hearing something similar to a freight train before a wall collapsed onto an adjacent thrift store and a cloud of dust and debris was thrown into the air. When the dust settled, all that was left was a pile of bricks.

Witnesses and first responders immediately began efforts to rescue survivors by manually removing debris from the pile. Six people were killed inside the thrift store, including a thrift store employee on her first day of work. Rescue efforts have continued in the hours since the collapse, and victims continued to be pulled from the rubble as late as Thursday morning.

The city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections reports the building had no safety violations and the crews conducting demolition at the site were permitted; however, witnesses say safety policies at the site should be questioned as a potential contributing factor.

The incident leaves many in Philadelphia wondering what could have been done to prevent the accident and what they can do to help the victims. The Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorneys with Lundy Law express their deepest sympathies to the victims of this tragedy and point out that giving blood at numerous donation sites throughout the city may be the best way for concerned citizens to assist the injured.