Campbell Construction

Description

Two employees and four customers of a Salvation Army were killed, and 13 others were injured, when the remains of a demolished wall fell onto the store. The wall that fell was part of a building owned by Richard Basciano, who had hired contractor Griffin Campbell to demolish it. Campbell then hired Sean Benschop to operate the excavator that was used in the demolition. Benschop's use of the excavator caused the wall to fall onto the Salvation Army. The family of Ann Bryan revealed after the incident that their daughter survived for ten hours beneath the collapsed building before she succumbed to her injuries. A construction worker who witnessed the collapse said there was not any bracing to support the wall of the building during the demolition. Campbell had a criminal history. He also tested positive for drugs after the incident. He had a valid contractor license but had previously been questioned about his demolition practices at the site prior to the collapse. A month before, an anonymous report had been made to the city's 311 hotline about the lack of safety gear at the demolition site and about concerns that pedestrians could be hit by falling debris or a collapse. City officials had sent a building inspector to the site, but found no violations.

Prosecutors

Unavailable