10 year old Kansas boy dies after Birmingham airport flight display board collapse

[Waylander]

His mother was hospitalized and listed in critical condition with two broken ankles and fractured pelvis now upgraded to serious at this time.
His eight year old brother was hospitalized with a broken leg and nose and his five year old brother for a concussion.

This is pretty screwed up especially if the eyewitness accounts are true that a 300 pound flight display board was attached to the wall with construction adhesive. I'd call it anything but a freak accident if that's the case.



It is unclear what caused the sign to topple on to the unsuspecting family, as that section of the terminal had just re-opened on March 13, according to the Kansas City Star, after undergoing a $201 million facelift.



Witness Albert Osorio said although the flight information sign was against a wall, it looked like an accident waiting to happen. "The whole thing flipped down on those kids. It took all of us here to stand it back up," he told Al.com. "Everybody started screaming."

"We didn't see any mounting brackets," Osorio later told ABC News. "All I saw was construction adhesive."


http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/mourning-father-10-year-old-boy-died-airport-sign-collapse-finds-comfort-son-love-sports-article-1.1297907

http://wbma.images.worldnow.com/images/21788566_SS.jpg

[C-grunt]

Someone probably figured they could save time and money by using the adhesive instead of a mounting bracket.

[rjacobs]

One of our pilots was going down an escalator about 15 feet from this when it happened. He said the screams were some of the worst things he had ever heard.

[gunrunner505]

This is terrible. I always hate stories like this, especially involving kids. A lot of people are getting sued out of existence after this.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

[Waylander]

One of our pilots was going down an escalator about 15 feet from this when it happened. He said the screams were some of the worst things he had ever heard.

If this is true it adds another sad element to all of this. An eyewitness claimed a doctor rushed over to help and the airport had no first aid necessities available. He needed to intubate (apparently the boy that died) but apparently there wasn't a tube available. Also according to the eyewitness, paramedics took something like 10-20 minutes to get there.

Correct me if I'm wrong or if your pilot has a different account.

[Safetyhit]

Someone probably figured they could save time and money by using the adhesive instead of a mounting bracket.

Literally lacking the full picture, but I see no evidence of any sort of attachment mechanism or residue anywhere in the image. Looks like it was just standing on it's own from what's visible.

God bless all of them, it truly is the unthinkable.

[rojocorsa]

****ing negligence...

[Moose-Knuckle]

This is what happens when you cut corners and contract out to hired day laborers.

[montanadave]

It would appear all the various federal, state, and local governmental agencies are claiming that there are no building or safety codes which specifically address these types of signs inside the airport and the companies contracted to complete the recent $201,000,000 modernization project at the airport are in CYA mode. (http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/03/neither_city_state_nor_federal.html)

Here's the company statement from one of the contractor's (Brasfield & Gorrie) websites:

Updated Statement Regarding Incident at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport

Brasfield & Gorrie / BLOC Global Services Group are diligently working with authorities at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport to assess the situation that occurred Friday, March 22, in which several people were injured, one fatally, after a freestanding flight information sign fell over in the newly renovated terminal.

We are more than ever committed to a safe working environment, regardless of the nature, location or scale of the project. Brasfield & Gorrie / BLOC Global Services Group are actively evaluating the Birmingham Airport incident. Together, we are working to ensure that similar signs are safe and securely installed.

Because of the ongoing evaluation, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time. The analysis is being conducted with the cooperation of the airport authority, design partners and other local officials.

Both corporate families extend our deepest sympathies to the family affected and will support them in any way we can. (http://www.brasfieldgorrie.com/News.aspx?id=239)

I'm guessing there are some rather intense negotiations taking place with regard to who's going to get this monumental cluster**** hung around their neck.

And I'm guessing every other airport in the country is working overtime installing anti-tip devices on similar displays.

[Waylander]

It would appear all the various federal, state, and local governmental agencies are claiming that there are no building or safety codes which specifically address these types of signs inside the airport and the companies contracted to complete the recent $201,000,000 modernization project at the airport are in CYA mode. (http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/03/neither_city_state_nor_federal.html)

Here's the company statement from one of the contractor's (Brasfield & Gorrie) websites:

Updated Statement Regarding Incident at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport

Brasfield & Gorrie / BLOC Global Services Group are diligently working with authorities at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport to assess the situation that occurred Friday, March 22, in which several people were injured, one fatally, after a freestanding flight information sign fell over in the newly renovated terminal.

We are more than ever committed to a safe working environment, regardless of the nature, location or scale of the project. Brasfield & Gorrie / BLOC Global Services Group are actively evaluating the Birmingham Airport incident. Together, we are working to ensure that similar signs are safe and securely installed.

Because of the ongoing evaluation, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time. The analysis is being conducted with the cooperation of the airport authority, design partners and other local officials.

Both corporate families extend our deepest sympathies to the family affected and will support them in any way we can. (http://www.brasfieldgorrie.com/News.aspx?id=239)

I'm guessing there are some rather intense negotiations taking place with regard to who's going to get this monumental cluster**** hung around their neck.

And I'm guessing every other airport in the country is working overtime installing anti-tip devices on similar displays.

Basically they're not saying shit because their lawyer gave them this statement and told them to keep their pie holes shut. We're doing everything we can, full cooperation, deepest sympathies for the family, blah, blah...

What I don't understand is several people witnessed adhesive after the display detached from the wall. I know eyewitness statements aren't fully reliable but this is the first I've heard (and seems to appear in the photos) of the display being free standing. Regardless it shouldn't have been treated as a piece of furniture. That's just a ridiculous statement and patronizing to the family how ignorant such talk is. Another attempt to deny blame and escape construction scrutiny. I'm guessing that won't hold up in court.



Stine likened the flight display board that collapsed to a movable TV cabinet - more like furniture rather than part of the building's structure.

"The Building Code does not contemplate, and the city does not inspect furniture or cabinetry like this object," Stine said.

[montanadave]

Hell, every piece of furniture you buy these days taller than 5' (bookcases, china cabinets, etc.) comes with some sort of ant-tip hook or cable to secure it to the wall. Stoves and ranges all have anti-tip brackets. To fabricate and install displays like these that stand 8' or 10' tall, weigh hundreds of pounds, and are electrified with a lot of glass without anti-tip devices is sheer negligence on the part of either the manufacturer, the installer, or both.

Somebody fabricated that display. Somebody installed it. And I'm guessing they're sweating bullets about now.

Regardless, there are attorneys working 24/7 trying to link the deepest pockets they can find to this tragic incident. If they can drag the federal or state government into it, so much the better. For them.

[trio]

I have a son who just turned 11, one who just turned 7, and an 18 month old daughter....I cannot imagine this

My wife is a pediatrician and had a colleague who lost a patient in a tipping accident

Parents put their 2 year old to bed....little girl climbed out in the middle of the night and tried to climb up her dresser, which fell on her and killed her

The parents didn't discover it until they went in to get the baby the next morning

[TAZ]

I have a son who just turned 11, one who just turned 7, and an 18 month old daughter....I cannot imagine this

My wife is a pediatrician and had a colleague who lost a patient in a tipping accident

Parents put their 2 year old to bed....little girl climbed out in the middle of the night and tried to climb up her dresser, which fell on her and killed her

The parents didn't discover it until they went in to get the baby the next morning

Wow talk about sound sleepers.

This sounds like its going to get ugly for the manufacturer of the display more than anyone. The installers will claim they installed it per mfg recommendations and probably walk. I design and make huge telco cabinets and I can tell you there are standards and testing for tipping, lifting and every other conceivable accident out there. No way in hell the maker can get out from under the hey it's 8 feet tall and a foot deep - ya think it may tip over at some point question. A jury would have to be brain dead to not conclude they did something wrong.

[Kain]

SOP for most construction outfits of one type or another is get ti done as cheaply as possible. For anything that is government or bid related, you can bet your ass they are going to do it cheap since they are likely trying to make even a meager profit, unless it is like the company that bid local to me to lay a new section of highway for the county, everyone was surprised he won until they saw the bid, then wondered how he planned on doing it so cheap. Guess what, he didn't, the company went under because it under bid the **** out of it.
Hell in my subdivision I had a neighbor who was sitting at his computer when the mirror in his master bathroom fell off the wall. The thing was attached with roofing tar, and that was it. So were the other mirrors in the house. We tried to reinforce them with little mounting brackets, but I think that just made things worse since ten minutes after doing the down stairs half bath that mirror fell off the wall, fortunately five minutes after a friend got doing taking a shit.

[Waylander]

And they just won't learn...

Ala airport using cabinet like one that killed boy

http://www.wgme.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/23ed0a2c-www.wgme.com.shtml