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History of building, structure collapses in Miami-Dade County

Another condo collapse occurred along Collins Avenue as recently as 2018
people's belongings can be seen in Champlain Towers South condominium building after partial collapse, June 24, 2021
Posted at 3:42 PM, Jun 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-24 15:42:40-04

MIAMI — Thursday morning's partial building collapse in Surfside is the latest in a series of structure collapses in Miami-Dade County over the last decade.

As recently as 2018, another condominium building along Collins Avenue collapsed during a botched demolition project.

The 13-floor Marlborough House condominium collapsed July 21, 2018, when a mishap during the controlled demolition sent the entire building crashing to the ground.

Marlborough House demolition collapse, July 21, 2018
This is all that remained of the 13-floor Marlborough House condominium building after it collapsed during a botched demolition project, July 21, 2018, in Miami Beach, Fla.

A 46-year-old construction worker, Samuel Landis, died more than a week after his leg was severed in the collapse.

The development group that was planning to build a modern oceanfront tower in its place initially requested a permit to implode the building, but after it was denied by the city, the request was modified for a conventional demolition.

Earlier in the year, a pedestrian bridge over Southwest Eighth Street that was intended to connect Florida International University to the city of Sweetwater collapsed, killing six people.

Eight vehicles that were stopped below the 174-foot-long pedestrian bridge at the time of the March 15, 2018, collapse were fully or partially crushed by the debris.

FIU pedestrian bridge collapse, March 16, 2018
Crushed vehicles lie under a section of a collapsed pedestrian bridge near Florida International University, March 16, 2018, near Sweetwater, Fla.

One construction worker and five people inside their vehicles were killed. Ten others were injured.

The National Transportation Safety Board later attributed the engineer's design flaw that led to cracks in the support structure but cited "failures at all levels."

Months later on Christmas Eve 2018, four people were seriously injured when a second-floor balcony collapsed onto a parked car in Miami Beach.

car crushed by balcony at Dora Condo, Dec. 24, 2018
This car was crushed by a second-floor balcony after it collapsed, Dec. 24, 2018, in Miami Beach, Fla.

All of the victims were on the balcony of the Dora Condo building when it collapsed. The building was later deemed unsafe.

In January 2017, a portion of a roof collapsed at a northwest Miami-Dade County business, trapping two people inside.

Four construction workers were initially inside the business on Northwest 37th Avenue, but two of them were able to get out. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue had to free the other two workers.

A few months earlier in October 2016, a section of formwork collapsed at a Brickell construction site, injuring several people on the ground, including a woman who was trapped inside her car as a result of fallen debris from the Echo Brickell high-rise building.

debris falls onto ground after formwork collapses at Echo Brickell building, Oct. 19, 2016
Construction debris is strewn about Brickell Avenue after a section of formwork collapsed at the Echo Brickell high-rise building, Oct. 19, 2016, in Miami.

Another man suffered a heart attack and died while trying to get away.

Two dozen people who had gathered to watch a Miami Heat playoff game were hurt in June 2013 when the deck of a popular North Bay Village restaurant collapsed, sending them plunging into Biscayne Bay.

Shuckers Waterfront Grill deck collapse, June 14, 2013
A collapsed deck sits in the water after it collapsed at Shuckers Waterfront Grill, June 14, 2013, in North Bay Village, Fla.

It was later determined that no government entity ensured the deck at Shuckers Waterfront Grill was inspected, even during the adjoined Best Western hotel's lone inspection in 2012, leading to several lawsuits.

Shuckers was closed for more than a year before reopening in July 2014.

Four men were killed in 2012 when a five-story parking garage under construction at Miami Dade College's West Campus in Doral collapsed.

Miami Dade College West Campus parking garage collapse, Oct. 10, 2012
A five-story parking garage is shown after it collapsed at Miami Dade College, Oct. 10, 2012, in Doral, Fla.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said the floors of the garage collapsed on top of each other in what was described as a "pancake collapse."

Two of the victims' bodies were found in the debris. A third man had both of his legs amputated and later died at a hospital. The final victim was found dead in the rubble about a week later.