Rahway, NJ — Several church-goers were injured when a roof collapsed in Rahway, New Jersey, on Sunday, April 5, 2015. The accident took place at the Korean Union United Methodist Church, which is located on West Grand Avenue.
Falling debris from the ceiling of the building injured at least a dozen people. One of those was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital. The other injuries were minor in nature. Reports say that those that were injured belonged to another congregation that rents out space at the building.
The names of those injured in the accident are unknown at this time.
The cause of the collapse is unknown at this point. Officials are investigating.
Scene of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary
Property owners owe a certain duty of care to those who are invited onto that property for whatever purpose. If someone is renting space in a building, they have a reasonable expectation that that space is going to be safe, and that the owners of the property are going to seek out and repair anything that could potentially cause anyone harm. If that duty of care was breached, then the parishioners injured in this accident would have a claim against the owners of the building. If you’re inviting someone onto your property, or if that person has paid for the right to use it, you have to make sure that it is in fact safe to do so. If you fail to live up to that, you can be held liable for their injuries.
— Grossman Law Offices
