Structural concerns - ceiling falls in

[Andrew]

Last night, one of may favorite clubs lost its ceiling. It fell in on the patrons and was probably aggravated by the frantic dancing on the level above.

I don't know what will happen but this may be a timely reminder for all concerned to keep an eye on the ceiling. Only one person was seriously injured, thankfully.

My friend was spinning at the time and thought it was a terrorist attack! I decided to stay home last night, too.

Clubbing is more dangerous than I thought.

[Andrew]

Nightclub ceiling collapses
Sunday 24 November 2002, 10:07AM
AAP


Police have begun investigating why a ceiling collapsed in a Sydney nightclub, injuring 16 people.

Police said at about 5.20am (AEDT), they were called to the three-level Stonewall club, on the corner of Oxford and Flinders Street, Darlinghurst.

A suspended ceiling on the third floor had fallen onto the dance floor below it, trapping a number of patrons.

It's believed there were about 300 people inside the nightclub at the time, while about 50 were on the second floor when the ceiling collapsed.

A total of 16 people were taken to Sydney hospitals but all escaped critical injury, despite one patron being trapped for about 20 minutes.


Twisted metal and live electrical wires created a hazard for rescuers and patrons but by 6am police and fire officers determined there was no-one else trapped.

Inspector Tom Cooper of the NSW Fire Brigades said a five metre by five metre section of the floor collapsed onto the dance floor below.

Jason Davis of the Ambulance Service said there were no fatalities, and most of the injured were suffering from cuts, bruises and shock.

Oxford Street has been reopened after being closed for about an hour while emergency service staff brought out the injured.

[end]

[David]

Ouch!

[Bart-Man]

Could be worse. If this happened in the states, I could sue the club for my being mentally raped by even hearing this story!

Okay, maybe not, but I would be surprised if somehow all 300 persons did not mysteriously end up under that patch of ceiling at the same time (???).

But, then again, this is why our codes are so strict.

[Andrew]

This gets messy. I cannot verify this at the moment but I have heard that this particular club was licenced only until 5 am YET the incident occurred at 5:20.

Even if this is not true, It poses an interesting question;

Is their insurance void if they open past licenced hours?

[Bart-Man]

I believe that could only be answered by someone familiar with that country and their particular code, license and law enforcement.

However, if say something like this were to happen in the states, and they were not supposed to even be open to the public when it occurred, there is no question whatsoever that this point would be a key ingredient in the plaintiff's case and would most definitely result in a much stronger case and reward for any victims involved. The establishment would most likely be closed down indefinitely.

[Andrew]

To do the right thing by Stonewall,

I have been told that their licence was approved some time ago to a 24hr licence. They choose to close at 7 am every morning now and reopen at 11:00.

They are a funny bunch over here - someone posted the lyrics of Lionel Ritchie's song about "dancing on the ceiling" on a local message board.

I guess it's their way of coping with the ordeal.