Justice Under the Rubble: The Salvation Army Building Collapse - Softcover

Stern, Andrew; Anastasia, George

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1680980270 ISBN 13: 9781680980271

Publisher: Camino Books, 2018

Synopsis

On the morning of June 5, 2013, early-bird shoppers and employees at a Philadelphia Salvation Army thrift store were buried alive. The roof of the Salvation Army store buckled with no warning. Those who were lucky escaped. The other thirteen found themselves buried under the rubble.

The disaster led to criminal prosecutions and a lawsuit that resulted in one of the longest trials in Pennsylvania history, involving hundreds of millions of dollars. Throughout the process, city officials, lawyers, and the public at large continued to argue about who was most to blame. In Justice under the Rubble, Andrew Stern and George Anastasia tell the movingƒ‚‚"ƒ‚‚€ƒ‚‚"and sometimes chillingƒ‚‚"ƒ‚‚€ƒ‚‚"story of the pursuit of justice.

About this title

About the Author:

Andrew Stern Esq. is one of Philadelphia's most accomplished trial lawyers. Currently a partner at Kline & Specter, he specializes in malpractice and other substantial personal injury cases. In 2017 he won the largest recovery in Pennsylvania history for one of the victims of the Salvation Army building collapse.

George Anastasia, a former reporter with The Philadelphia Inquirer, is the author of six books of nonfiction, including Blood and Honor, and has won many awards for investigative journalism and magazine writing.

From the Inside Flap:

On the morning of June 5, 2013, early-bird shoppers and employees at a Philadelphia Salvation Army thrift store were buried alive.

For weeks before the collapse, contractors had worked on a demolition project next door to the thrift store. Corners were cut, warnings of potential dangers ignored, and safety precautions passed by, but no one inside the store knew that, until a wall of the demolished building crumbled ahead of schedule and came crashing down on its neighbor. The roof of the Salvation Army store buckled with no warning. Those who were lucky escaped. The other thirteen found themselves buried under the rubble.

In the aftermath, rescuers flooded the scene, concerned parties searched for their loved ones, and a single question rose from the ruins: Why did this happen? Were the contractors at fault? Evidence of drug use and overall incompetence suggests the contractors had a lot to answer for, but there were bigger players as well. Someone paid for the demolition project, hired less-than-ideal laborers, and neglected to pay close attention to the execution. And what about the city? Philadelphia's construction regulations were clearly insufficient to prevent this disaster.

Shortly after this catastrophe, blame focused on the contractor and heavy equipment operator"€"but didn't the Salvation Army have an obligation to close its store to protect its employees and customers in light of the warnings of potential danger?

The disaster led to criminal prosecutions and a lawsuit that resulted in one of the longest trials in Pennsylvania history, involving hundreds of millions of dollars. Throughout the process, city officials, lawyers, and the public at large continued to argue about who was most to blame. In Justice under the Rubble, Andrew Stern and George Anastasia tell the moving"€"and sometimes chilling"€"story of the pursuit of justice.

About this edition

• Publisher: Camino Books
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1680980270
• ISBN 13: 9781680980271
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176