In a series of lawsuits stemming from a balcony collapse at a Cincinnati condo complex, nine University of Cincinnati students and their associates are seeking accountability for "serious, permanent and life-altering injuries" they incurred last October. According to WLWT, the victims, who include six first-year medical students, alleged that the property owners failed to maintain safe conditions or properly inspect and maintain the condominium.
One of the injured students, Derek Borsody, remains in a coma months after the tragic incident. His attorney, Charlie M. Rittgers, revealed in a statement obtained by The Enquirer, "Derek and his family’s life has been changed forever." The collapse, which occurred on Oct. 17, led to ten people being hospitalized after the balcony plummeted about 20 feet. Another lawsuit, filed in early November by UC medical student Andrew McGovern, similarly addressed issues with the building’s safety.
The collective lawsuits involve a total of 10 defendants, including the Stetson Square Condominium Unit Owners Association, property managers, and the property's owners. The legal actions have illuminated the breadth of injuries suffered, with details coming to light about one student experiencing profuse bleeding from a head wound, while another remembers the chilling onset of shock, as per a WCPO report.
Amid calls for property safety, the lawsuits criticize the defendants for what they call a failure to ensure secure premises and fail to identify hazardous conditions. Compounding the matter, Cincinnati building inspectors are still investigating the cause of the collapse, and, no official report has been released by the involved structural engineer, reports The Enquirer. The lawsuits assert that due to the defendants' alleged negligence and carelessness, plaintiffs face mounting medical costs, mental anguish, and a deeply altered future.
Represented by Austin LiPuma of Freking Myers & Reul, LLC, the plaintiffs have highlighted the quick and without warning nature of the collapse, underscoring the traumatic impact on the young individuals who had gathered to celebrate their academic achievements. "These students who dedicated their lives to trying to save others are forever and permanently changed," LiPuma told WCPO. The lawsuits seek financial compensation and punitive damages as the victims navigate their paths to what they hope can be recovery and justice.
