Owner of collapsed scaffolding cited for damages

City officials confirmed Wednesday that they cited the owners of a Fairmount property whose construction scaffolding tipped into the street Tuesday damaging nearby cars.

No injuries were reported in the incident at 25th and Parrish streets. But two municipal vehicles were crushed and an unspecified number of private cars were damaged.

“The scaffolding was taken down entirely after the collapse yesterday,”city Licenses & Inspections spokeswoman Karen Guss said via email.

The scaffolding was adjacent to a building belonging to Waynemore Associates in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania. No one from the company responded to repeated requests for comment from Metro.

RELATED:Scaffolding collapses onto Fairmount street

The company was cited with violations for having an unlicensed contractor, no permit for the work, no proof of insurance, and for putting scaffolding up on a wall with loose bricks, Guss said.

“The property owner is now responsible for having a licensed, insured contractor repair the wall and bring it up to code,” Gusssaid via email. “The proper permits for the work must be obtained. If scaffolding is put up, the proper permits include a permit for the scaffolding itself and a permit authorizing the sidewalk closure necessary for the scaffold. L&I inspectors will monitor the progress of the required work.”

Those around the area of the collapse Wednesday were spooked by the accident.

“God forbid, itcould have been a disaster,” said Frank Mendell, who works in the area. “Whoever put up the scaffold,it was so tall they figured the weight would hold it, but the wind got behind the tarp. The wind was strong and pushed it right over.”