BIRMINGHAM BUILDING COLLAPSE LAWYER

Building collapses often leave victims facing serious injuries such as spinal trauma, traumatic brain injuries, crushed limbs, and internal damage. Recovery can involve surgeries, rehabilitation, long-term medical care, and extended time away from work. Families may also experience sudden financial strain, housing instability, and emotional distress.

In Birmingham, collapses may occur in apartment buildings, workplaces, parking structures, commercial properties, or public facilities. These cases often involve multiple responsible parties and require immediate investigation before critical evidence is lost.

Structural failures rarely happen without warning. Many collapses trace back to preventable problems, including:

• Defective or inadequate construction, including substandard materials or poor workmanship
• Foundation failures, such as settling, erosion, or improper design
• Code violations, including failure to meet local safety or load-bearing requirements
• Poor maintenance, corrosion, or long-term deterioration
• Overloading, from overcrowding, improper storage, or unauthorized modifications
• Fire or explosions, including gas leaks or industrial accidents
• Design errors, where load distribution or structural support was improperly planned
• Vibrations, from nearby construction or heavy machinery, may weaken the structure over time

Identifying the true cause of a collapse is essential to determining who may be legally responsible.

Liability in a building collapse case often extends beyond a single party. Depending on the circumstances, responsible parties may include property owners, landlords, developers, construction companies, contractors, subcontractors, engineers, architects, maintenance companies, or material manufacturers.

When multiple parties were involved in construction or upkeep, responsibility may be shared. Alabama law allows injured victims to pursue claims against every party whose negligence contributed to the collapse.

Yes. Tenants, employees, contractors, and visitors may all have legal claims if a property owner or responsible party failed to maintain a safe structure. Property owners have a duty to address known hazards, comply with building codes, and take reasonable steps to protect occupants and workers.

Workers may also have additional claims beyond workers’ compensation when third-party negligence is involved.

Compensation in building collapse cases depends on the injuries and losses involved, but may include:

• Medical expenses, including future treatment and rehabilitation
• Lost income and reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Disability or disfigurement
• Out-of-pocket expenses related to recovery
• Property loss or personal belongings destroyed in the collapse

In severe cases, damages may reflect the long-term impact the collapse has on a person’s ability to work or live independently.

Determining the cause of a collapse often requires expert analysis. Structural engineers and safety experts examine debris patterns, construction plans, materials used, maintenance records, inspection reports, and code compliance. They may also analyze load capacity, soil conditions, and failure points to reconstruct how and why the structure failed.

This technical evidence is often central to proving negligence.

Claims involving government-owned buildings or public structures often follow different rules from claims against private property owners. Special notice requirements, shortened timelines, and procedural hurdles may apply. Even so, injured individuals may still have the right to pursue compensation when unsafe conditions, poor maintenance, or other forms of negligence contributed to the collapse.

Morgan & Morgan has experience navigating these more complex cases, including identifying the correct government entities, preserving evidence early, and complying with strict procedural requirements. Because these claims can be time-sensitive, acting promptly can make a meaningful difference in protecting your legal options.

Building collapse claims are subject to strict legal deadlines. Waiting too long can prevent an injured person or family from pursuing compensation altogether. Early action also helps preserve physical evidence, inspection records, surveillance footage, and witness statements that may be critical to the case.

Speaking with an attorney as soon as possible helps protect those rights.

Yes. When a building collapse results in loss of life, surviving family members may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim under Alabama law. These claims focus on accountability and the financial consequences families face after a preventable tragedy.

Wrongful death cases are handled with care and sensitivity, recognizing the profound impact these losses have on loved ones.

Your safety and health should always come first. Seek medical attention right away, even if injuries seem minor. Building collapses often involve crush injuries, head trauma, or internal injuries that may not be immediately apparent.

If it is safe to do so, document the scene as thoroughly as possible. Photos or videos of debris, structural damage, warning signs, and surrounding conditions can be valuable later. Collect contact information for witnesses who saw what happened, including coworkers, tenants, or bystanders.

Preserve anything connected to the incident, such as work logs, maintenance notices, emails, or access records showing why you were in the building. Avoid giving detailed or recorded statements to insurance companies or investigators before understanding your legal rights, as early statements can be misunderstood or used out of context.

Taking these steps early can help protect both your health and any future claim related to the collapse.

Building collapse cases require thorough investigation and coordination with experts. Morgan & Morgan works to gather construction records, inspection reports, maintenance logs, and expert opinions to identify where failures occurred. These cases are built carefully, with attention to both technical details and the real-world impact on victims.

A building collapse can leave lasting physical, emotional, and financial consequences. In the aftermath, many people are left trying to make sense of medical needs, insurance questions, and legal uncertainty, all at once. You don’t have to navigate that process on your own.

Morgan & Morgan brings decades of experience handling complex injury cases, including those involving construction failures, unsafe properties, and large-scale negligence. With more than 35 years of experience and $30 billion recovered for clients nationwide, our firm has the resources and investigative reach these cases often require.

We offer free case evaluations, allowing you to ask questions, understand your rights under Alabama law, and explore potential next steps without added financial pressure. While you focus on recovery, our team can focus on examining what went wrong and who may be responsible.