A section of a $22.5-million parking garage project under construction near Miami collapsed without warning on Oct. 10, killing four construction workers. While refusing to speculate on a cause, the project's general contractor vowed to assist federal safety investigators in a "thorough, transparent finding of fact."
Near midday, the five-story structure at Miami Dade College in Doral, Fla., suffered a sudden progressive collapse, giving those inside just seconds to escape. The collapsed section represented roughly a quarter of the 520,000-sq-ft project, and was estimated to be 90% complete, according to Bill Byrne, president of Ajax Building Corp., Midway, Fla., the general contractor.