Again, tragedy has struck because a public place was unsafe. Two boys, ages 4 and 10, were killed Wednesday night at an apartment complex in southwest Houston when concrete sections of an outdoor stairwell collapsed on top of them. Another boy, age 9, was injured and is in a hospital, possibly with a broken leg.

Were the boys at fault? How could they be? They were innocently playing and too small to have caused severe structural damage to the apartment complex. But residents say the outdoor stairwell was corroded and had holes in it. In other words, it needed repairs — repairs which could have saved two boys’ lives and spared another from serious injury.Reportedly, since the staircases were cracked, they were not supposed to be in use. But entry to the staircases was supposed to be barred and locked, and it wasn’t. Though residents had complained about the unsafe conditions, those unsafe conditions remained — until the structure gave way and killed two boys.

Many injuries and deaths are labeled “accidents,” a term which has a sense of inevitability, as if nothing could be done to prevent such events. Yet when “accidents” are preventable, it’s hard to see them simply as “accidents.”

That doesn’t mean these injuries and deaths occurred because of the converse — because they were caused deliberately. But it does mean that indifference or heedless negligence could have contributed to tragic and costly events which did not have to happen.

If you or a loved one has suffered due to another person’s negligence, even if the event was labeled an “accident,” you may be entitled to legal compensation. Jim S. Adler & Associates has premises liability lawyers who specialize in such cases. If your case should prevail, you not only will gain financial compensation but the knowledge that your victory may spur greater vigilance by others and, thus, fewer “accidents.”

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