Officials determined that although the plans called for pressure-treated joists that could resist rot, Segue used an engineered wood product not intended to be used for decking or, in this case, a balcony. Investigators reported that the balcony assembly was not properly waterproofed, which allowed water to seep into the balcony assembly. The balcony material then rotted and weakened.
CA revokes license of contractor in Berkeley balcony collapse
- The California Contractors State License Board has revoked the license of Segue Construction, the company whose alleged shoddy construction work led to a deadly balcony collapse in Berkeley, CA, in 2015, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Segue agreed to the revocation as part of a settlement deal with the licensing board, which also requires two former company officials pay up to $115,000 to cover the board's investigation bills. Segue can apply for license renewal in 2022.
- Thirteen people, who were attending a birthday party at a Berkeley, CA, apartment complex, fell to the ground when the fifth-floor balcony on which they were standing gave way. Six were killed and seven were injured.
- The licensing board began the push to revoke Segue's license back in December, maintaining that the company did not perform the balcony installation according to the plans and specifications or in a "good and workmanlike manner."
Officials determined that although the plans called for pressure-treated joists that could resist rot, Segue used an engineered wood product not intended to be used for decking or, in this case, a balcony. Investigators reported that the balcony assembly was not properly waterproofed, which allowed water to seep into the balcony assembly. The balcony material then rotted and weakened.
Licensing board officials suggested that if Segue had constructed the balcony according to the plans and specifications, it would have been able to withstand the weight of the 13 people who fell. Segue was also reportedly sued in 2010 for faulty balcony installations on a project in San Jose, CA.
Even though there was a loss of life in the Berkeley case, prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges, but the families of those injured and killed have filed civil suits against Segue, subcontractors on the project and the apartment complex owner.
After the collapse, state legislators passed California SB 465, which gave the licensing board more oversight over contractors and mandated two studies — one looking into whether an analysis of past contractor judgment and lawsuit information would add to industry safety, and the other considering necessary changes to state building codes.
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The state has revoked the license of the contractor that built the balcony in Berkeley that collapsed in 2015, killing six college students, essentially putting the company out of business for at least five years.
Segue Construction of Pleasanton is losing its license in a settlement with the California Contractors State License Board, which accused the company of doing shoddy work on the apartment balcony at 2020 Kittredge St. when it built the structure between 2005 and 2007.
Under the settlement, which goes into effect May 19, the company admitted no wrongdoing but agreed not to apply for license renewal until at least 2022. Two of its former managers must pay the board’s investigation bills before they can obtain new licenses.
The tab for Kirk Alan Wallis, who held titles at Segue, including president from 1992 to 2008, is $99,950. For David Michael Dunlop, a manager from 2002 to 2008, the penalty is “an amount not to exceed $15,000.”
The fifth-floor balcony cracked loose June 16, 2015, during a 21st birthday party near UC Berkeley for Aoife Beary, an Irish student who was seriously injured in the catastrophe. Thirteen young people — five visiting from Ireland — plunged to the ground.
“This is certainly one of the most serious cases we’ve seen,” said Rick Lopes, a license board spokesman. He said a construction company cannot work in California without a license.
The phone at Segue’s office has been disconnected, and attempts to reach Wallis and Dunlop were unsuccessful.