Shoddy maintenance work is to blame for a balcony collapse in Lachine that killed two men and left a third seriously injured, a coroner’s report has concluded.
In his report, coroner Gilles Sainton wrote that the railing collapsed because the screws were too short.
Jimmy Diamond Shecanapish, 32, and Job Nelson Guanish, 23, were killed in the early morning hours of Dec. 6 2015 after the balcony collapsed on the third floor of an apartment building on Victoria St., sending them 15 metres down to crash into the parking lot.
Allan Nabinacaboo, 26, was renting the apartment. He suffered serious injuries in the fall including a broken pelvis, fractured neck, and a perforated liver.
His family has been advised not to speak to the media.
The three men came to Montreal from from Kawawachikamach, north of Sept-Iles.
Sainton determined in his report that inspectors found that the screws holding the railing in place were not strong enough to support the weight of a person. They were too short, he noted, adding that others were rusted out.
Built in 1967, the building’s other balconies were also missing screws and had rotted floor supports, the coroner found.
He condemned them until they could be repaired properly.
Repairs on the building's back balconies were completed in December 2016. Repairs on the front balconies are in progress and expected to be completed in May.
The building is owned by well-known boxer Lucian Buté. He did not respond to requests for comment about the report.
