Scene Documentation Reveals Evidence of Internal Building Failure / by Jeff Drake

A plaintiff sustained serious injuries in a slip-and-fall accident caused by ice buildup in front of a shopping center entrance. Post-accident photos taken by the plaintiff’s attorney documented serious issues with water drainage from the roof in the area of the accident. An internal drain system had failed and caused water to flow through overhead roof structures. The water then leaked onto the sidewalk, forming ice in sub-freezing temperatures. The building had a history of roof leaks from snow and ice accumulating and then melting. Heat tape had been installed to keep water flowing through gutters and internal drainpipes but had failed some months prior to the January accident.

Post-accident photo shows ice conditions on pedestrian walkway and parking lot surface

The Site Inspection Revealed Physical Evidence of the Failure

Drake Exhibits was retained by the plaintiff’s attorney to create graphic exhibits depicting the accident scene. A site inspection was conducted to acquire measurements of the site so that the exhibits produced would be a fair and accurate representation. During the site visit, the interior of the roof overhang was accessed through a ventilation grill. Inside, the PVC drainpipe was visible and had obviously been replaced since the accident. The fractured pieces of the previous drainpipe had been left there by the repair crew – physical evidence the drain had failed and released water inside the roof structure, allowing the ice build-up to occur.

3D model of roof and soffit structure reveals interior drainage system from roof above

Physical Evidence Confirmed the Failure was Caused by Neglect of the Building

A comprehensive reconstruction could have been created solely from architectural drawings and photographs that were part of the file, but the failure mechanism that caused the flow of water throughout the soffit area would not have been discovered without an on-site inspection. The inspection work was initiated a few years after the events that led to the accident. Fortunately, the conditions of the failure were able to be reconstructed from physical evidence. The interior supports for the ceiling structure exhibited a gap that likely resulted from the weight of water and ice on the ceiling panels. Evidence of all the internal repairs made was photographed during the inspection.

Photos of repaired drainpipe and abandoned remains of the failed pipe show evidence of the repair

3D Graphics Illustrated the Building Construction and Failed Piping

Drake Exhibits created a 3D reconstruction of the overhead roof area at the store entrance, including the interior roof structure and overhead soffit. Graphics generated from the 3D model oriented the viewer to the site and showed the details of construction and the mechanism of failure. Illustrations showed the path the water took from the roof gutter to the failed drain pipe through the soffit interior and out to the sidewalk. A separate presentation was created to show the water and weather-related aspects of the failure scenario. This included detailed cross-sections of the drain, water flow, effects of rain volume, and the freeze/thaw cycle that precipitated the failure.

3D model shows water travel through soffit to the area where ice formed, and the plaintiff was injured

Conclusion

In this matter, the scene inspection not only provided the information necessary to create a series of compelling graphics but also led to the discovery of key evidence in support of the plaintiff’s case.

For further reading see the February article about how the 3D model combined with weather data analysis illustrated the expert’s opinion.