|
On
February 17, 1996, 32 year old Mary Ellen Slane of San Rafael was killed
and 14 others were injured when the deck at 2003
Franklin Street busted, sending the doomed party guests crashing 4
stories to the ground. A going away party for Troy Winkles was in full
swing when the deck collapsed at about 8:30 p.m. In addition to Slane's
death, the horror caused a crushed face, fractured pelvis, leg fractures,
bruises, abrasions, and other massive head injuries to the guests. City
Officials determined the collapse occurred because landlord Randall Nathan
moved an important support beam without required permits. The case fueled
antipathy against landlords in the City and caused a sensation when District
Attorney Terrence Hallinan became the first D.A. in 50 years to personally
try a case against a criminal defendant in San Francisco. Despite Hallinan's
efforts, Randall was convicted only of two misdemeanor charges of failing
to maintain a building in a safe condition and failing to obtain a permit
for remodeling work. The jury deadlocked on felony charges of involuntary
manslaughter in Slane's death. Nathan was sentenced to 200 hours of community
service and a $1,000 fine which was later reduced to $500 when the conviction
for failing to maintain a building in a safe condition was overturned because
of technicality related to a court filing date. Injured guests and Slane's
widower sued Randall and were awarded $12 million by a judge, one of the
highest awards ever given in San Francisco for landlord negligence. A
rebuilt
deck can be seen from the neighboring historic museum, Haas-Lilienthal
House. Haas-Lilienthal gardener Mark Niclas witnessed the deadly deck
collapse. |