Aoife Beary: Berkeley balcony collapse survivor dies, aged 27

[muriel_volestrangler]

Aoife Beary, a survivor of the 2015 Berkeley balcony collapse that killed six students, has died, aged 27.

She died after suffering a stroke in the Irish capital, Dublin.
...
In 2015 the families of those killed reached a confidential settlement with the companies involved in the building's construction.

Aoife Beary was left with a traumatic brain injury, broken arms, hands, pelvis and jaw, as well as lacerations to her liver, kidneys and spleen, a collapsed lung and broken ribs. She later underwent open heart surgery.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59854917

With those injuries, and at that age, it has to be another effect of them.

[cadoman]

1. I never would have guessed construction would be that lax in CA as of 2015

I know people who work there and complain they need a dozen signatures before a fence post goes in the ground.

Doing quality construction is hard work. Even when work is up to code it still has to be maintained. Owners/tenants can screw things up simply by putting ornamentation or possessions where they don't belong (blocking vents or drainage areas, for instance). Even work done by professional architects sometimes doesn't quite drain properly, or a batch of materials is not up to snuff. Use the wrong kind of nail or fastener and you have rust. Etc. etc. etc.

Sad to hear her injuries eventually caught up to her at such a young age. RIP Aoife and thanks to her work to make things better.

[Grokenstein]

2. It's like CPS; evil people know there's too much workload, not enough inspectors.

From OP link: The balcony had been constructed by a company that had a history of legal claims against it and which it had not disclosed to the Californian state licensing board that regulates the building industry.

And let's not forget, there's an ill-advised skyscraper in San Francisco that's leaning two feet over Mission Street.

https://www.boredpanda.com/dangerous-weird-things-structural-inspections/

[Sympthsical]

3. Drove past the scene the next morning

Worked nearby at the time and hadn't known something had happened. Lots of news trucks and pretty grim.

When I learned about what caused it, I wasn't surprised. Berkeley landlords are the worst, and developers take short cuts to cash in on tech money. Once it started crossing into East Bay in earnest, all kinds of new developments started going up in rapid order. You go into some of those buildings and wonder. There's one complex along Shattuck and Dwight - coincidentally, popular with the Irish J-1 visas - that had unbelievable water damage when I went in to pick up a friend.

It's starting to happen in North Bay now. About a mile down the road, tons of partially built apartments/condos going next to new warehouse construction. Likelihood of affordability? Probably zero. But they took a winter break or something, and there is standing water all over the sites. No idea.

Money money.

Still bitter my favorite hole in the wall Indian restaurant in Berkeley was shut down for the fucking Aquatic development. They got rid of half of Little India for that abomination. How much does it cost to live there? $$$$

For all its vaunted liberal politics, Berkeley is alllllllll about the money. It has been for a long time. A lot of the headlines about politics are surface only. It's mainly Karen in an SUV saying fuck you these days.

[alphafemale]

4. I don't do balconies anymore.

Let alone one with too many people jumping up and down on them.

[spanone]

5. ...