Hey, there! Log in / Register

Jamaica Plain porch collapse kills one

Jamaica Plain porch collapse

Collapsed third-floor porch. Photo by BFD.

Around 10:40 a.m. at 89 Forest Hills St. Two workers were building a third-floor rear porch when it collapsed onto the second-floor porch.

One worker died, the other was less seriously injured.

In addition to firefighters and paramedics, ISD and OSHA were also called in.

NOTE: Thanks to the city data portal, Brian Nailer was able to pull up the record on the building permit pulled for the work (attached below), which he notes used the short form, which is not supposed to be used for structural work

Neighborhoods: 


Ad:


Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!

Comments

I hope the workers will be okay! I live pretty much across the street, and I heard the sirens as emergency services arrived, but not the actual collapse. It looks like there are at least five emergency vehicles still outside as of 11:40, and they also seem to have roped off that block of Forest Hills Street with caution tape.

up
Voting closed 0

It looks like a temporary platform on the third floor broke. If that's how the workers were reaching that part of the building, that looks unsafe.

up
Voting closed 0

Bad hit.

up
Voting closed 0

It is a Smith brothers property--I just checked the Suffolk property deeds records online. Around 2005 they switched into attorney names but it is still Doug and/or Roger Smith--notorious slumlords. Fox25 did a feature on them several years back. Nothing ever sticks to them (especially the one that is a fugitive on the lam in Ireland!) Maybe now that they've killed someone with their cost-cutting and OSHA is involved they'll have to answer.
Who was the "GC" today?

up
Voting closed 0

In all fairness though, you havent heard about the Bros. since 05' because they have sunk alot of money into the properties. Some have been sold off but most have been improved sig.

up
Voting closed 0

Who are you The Wiz??? Fairness about the Smith Brothers--are you nuts??? The brothers (Roger-a convicted arsonist and insurance fraudster; and Doug--living in Ireland to avoid being prosecuted for arson and fraud) defaulted on 30 mortages in 2008. In 2009 Mike Beaudet MyFoxBoston25 profiled them for evicting tenants from multiple units who were not behind in rent and were not given the opportunity to accept a rent increase. Yeah, so those are the Smith properties that have since had improvements done on them and then the rents jacked up. I'm sure the young mother with a 2 years that was amongst the evicted appreciated appreciates what you call "sig improvements".
http://jamaicaplaingazette.com/2009/06/12/smith_brothers_under_fire/

I wonder if they hired a crew that was bonded and insured to do the work on this triple decker porch that resulted in a death?

up
Voting closed 0

Really are out to lunch.

Bonded contractor for renovation on a triple decker?Just like bringing a bazooka to a knife fight. Do you know what it takes to be bonded? But what about the overhead? Pass on extra cost to tenants in the form of raise rents and then its "boo-hoo," all over again.

Illegal evictions? In Ma?
-put your money in escrow and squat..FOREVER.
Damn near impossible to remove a tenant. Whose the constable..Rambo? NOPE.

As for forclosures: your living in the past. Read the public notice section of the paper....go to land court and get the daily print outs or just 'meter la pata.'

up
Voting closed 0

Zutrau may be a hack as you say, but he does appear to have a license.

up
Voting closed 0

From the city data portal, as an attachment to the original post.

up
Voting closed 0

Permit issued yesterday; work has been going on for a week before that.

up
Voting closed 0

"Z" did a "short pull," it looks like.
Gonna be a rough ride for him.

up
Voting closed 0