Inspector in Philadelphia collapse commits suicide

[Zorro]

Source: AP

An inspector who surveyed a downtown building weeks before it collapsed, killing 6 people, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound a week after the accident, authorities said Thursday.

The 52-year-old man's body was found Wednesday night in a pickup truck with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, according to Philadelphia police. Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison said the man was a Department of Licenses and Inspections employee who had inspected the building May 14.

Department employees were being informed of the death Thursday morning and the man's name wasn't immediately being released. Gillison and other city officials have scheduled a news conference for later Thursday morning.

Investigators say a heavy equipment operator with a lengthy rap sheet was high on marijuana when a building under demolition collapsed onto a neighboring thrift store on June 5. The operator, Sean Benschop, faces six counts of involuntary manslaughter, 13 counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of risking a catastrophe. His attorney has said he was being made a scapegoat.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/inspector-philadelphia-collapse-commits-suicide-125935627.html

[neohippie]

1. Curious to know

How does one determine that the crane operator was high on marijuana at the time that he was working on the demolition of the building?

It seems to me that any tests would just show that he had used marijuana some time in the last month or several weeks and that we probably need to come up with tests that can show you are impaired at a specific time that an accident occurs, especially now that marijuana use is legal in some jurisdictions.

I am not aware of any test that can demonstrate that right now, but perhaps a blood test could?

At any rate, with the crane operator being high or not high at the time of the work, if there was any chance that one building could collapse on another, why would anyone let the demolition go on at a time when the any of the surrounding buildings were occupied?

[former9thward]

3. It is likely he admitted it.

95% of the time people who have been accused of something tell on themselves. Usually because they are trying to diminish the allegation by saying "It was just half a joint" or "I just had two beers".

[Sunlei]

2. very sad about the suicide, the building was being torn down he shouldn't have felt so guility.

Sick over how a State would scapegoat a 'marijuana positive drug test' for a case of horrible management.

Who ever allowed that type of crazy building demolition to proceed are the criminals!

[TheMadMonk]

4. This was the inspector, not the operator.

Now, given that we have multiple reports that workers on another site nearby repeatedly raised concerns about how the demolition was being carried out I have a small suspicion that this inspector at a minimum ignored those warnings, and more likely took a backhander to look the other way.

Odds are he IS one of the criminals who allowed this type of crazy building demolition.

Sad thing is, his suicide may well mean that the actual arsehole running the show, gets off scott free.

[Sunlei]

5. I see what you mean. He may have been the demolition site inspector.

I thought he was the city building inspector who would permit the demolition contract.

[TheMadMonk]

6. Which would still make it his responsibility if he issued a permit...

...for that cowboy operation.