Berkeley tragedy: Probe into balcony collapse ‘already tainted’

A criminal investigation into the collapse of the balcony in Berkeley, California, that claimed the lives of six Irish students may already be compromised, according to an engineering expert.

Despite the repeated insistence of city authorities and the local police that no such probe would take place, the local District Attorney has forced the issue by taking charge of the criminal investigation.

However, an engineering expert from the University of California has revealed city authorities may have already ruined valuable evidence by first storing and then handing back decayed wood from the balcony to the owners of the building.

There is continuing confusion surrounding the structural evidence, with city authorities now saying they did not return it to the owners, despite issuing a statement on Tuesday saying they had.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office will lead the criminal investigation into the balcony collapse.

Berkeley police will also take part, a city spokesman said on Wednesday, overturning a decision the day before when city authorities said police would not investigate.

“In light of Berkeley’s statement Tuesday afternoon that it had concluded its investigation, this office will now be the lead agency in this investigation,” said District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Teresa Drenick.

“We continue to work with the city of Berkeley, and they with us, as we go forward.”

This is in contrast to a news conference held on Tuesday where a city spokesman said police would not pursue a criminal investigation or determine who was responsible for the collapse.

“The city’s authority doesn’t extend to who’s to blame. That’s something that will happen in the courts,” spokesman Matthai Chakko said on Tuesday.

However, police spokeswoman Jennifer Coats yesterday confirmed a U-turn had taken place, saying the Berkeley police would be co-operating with the case. “We have been asked to retain the balcony in support of the ongoing inquiry. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office will be the lead investigating agency.”

University of California Berkeley professor of engineering Hassan Astaneh, who has been retained as an expert witness in numerous bridge collapse cases, was critical of how city authorities handled fragments from the collapsed balcony, along with the identical lower balcony.

“This case obviously will go to trial and, being an expert witness in structural failure cases, what caught my eye was that initially the city collected all the debris from the site and kept them at a secure yard,” he told the San Jose Mercury News.

“But then the [city memo] says after completing its analysis of this collapse, the material is turned over to property owner. I think this needs to be investigated why the evidence of a gross negligence resulting in six deaths is turned over to someone [the owner] who, or his agents [contractors etc], may be the party causing this collapse. “What happens if the owner discards the debris before this gets to trial?” he asked.